Harry Potter and the Princesses for Magic
by Princess-Perfect
Summary: Two new students come to Hogwarts after the summer, Voldemort dies but it was not Harry who killed him, but if he's dead, who's continuing his work? A different sixth year for Harry. Now a complete story. BEWARE OF MARY SUE!
1. Good and Bad Birthday

Harry Potter and the  
  
Princesses for Magic  
  
Disclaimer: The majority of characters, details, main plot and such are not mine, but are the property of J. K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series. The characters of Ed, Fred and Ned however, are my own creation.  
  
Author's Note: After slaving away at this fanfic novel for a year, I'm finally ready to put it on Fanfiction.Net. Thank goodness! This whole entire story is about Harry's 6th year at Hogwarts. Harry mourns all summer for the death of Sirius Black, although now his time with the Dursleys are more pleasant. He finds out that there is a war in Sicily against Lord Voldemort and is now friends with Remus Lupin. At Hogwarts awaiting him is another adventure, including two new students that will turn the year a bit more exciting than he thought. Even if this is a fanfic of the 6th installment of Harry Potter, I did not include a few details that had taken place from the 5th book, such as the arrest of Lucius Malfoy, dating Cho Chang the previous year, apparating classes and a few minor things. Sorry this author's note is so long, but I have to explain a lot.   
  
Chapter 1  
  
A Good and Bad Birthday  
  
"Come on, you can do better than that!" called out Sirius, barking with laughter as he battled his cousin Bellatrix in the Ministry of Magic.   
  
Suddenly, a spell shot out of his cousin's wand and hit him on the chest, making him fall down. A look of horror and surprise was on his face, as he slowly fell down into the dais.  
  
"Sirius!" shouted Harry, reaching his hand out to him, and....  
  
Harry Potter woke up. It was what seemed like the 100th time he had had a dream of his godfather's death. He was sweaty and breathing heavily from his nightmare.   
  
It was July 31st, Harry Potter's birthday. He was turning 16 years old that day.   
  
He wondered what would be in store for his birthday this year, since every single birthday was a disaster, but this year was different. The members of the Order of the Phoenix who were at the train station told the Dursleys to pay more respect to him, and they were starting to do so. It felt so strange that the Dursleys weren't treating him like dirt anymore (like they had all his life), and now Aunt Petunia almost became lovingly to Harry (like he was really her nephew and not a mangy old dog). At first, they were a bit uncomfortable, but by then they had gotten used to him.   
  
Another great thing about this summer was that he didn't have any summer homework, because he would be studying in his NEWT classes the following year. He was still waiting for his marks to arrive, and he was so eager to find out what he received on his O.W.L. test scores.  
  
But what he missed was his Firebolt, which was locked up in the castle by Professor Umbridge, the awful former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who was now spending her time at St. Mungo's Hospital. Because he had started beating up Malfoy, his arch-enemy, during a Quidditch match, his Firebolt was taken away and he had received a life ban from Quidditch. He dearly loved Quidditch, and it was now taken away from him, and so was his wonderful broomstick, his Firebolt.  
  
That wasn't all he missed, and that wasn't why he missed his Firebolt so much either. His godfather, Sirius Black, had given him that Firebolt out of his own money while he was in hiding, and he wanted it back so much.... just be hold it again.... for it was his dear deceased godfather who gave it to him.....oh, his poor godfather.   
  
That was of course, what he missed most: his godfather. The instant he witnessed his death, Harry grieved and mourned endlessly for Sirius, and wanted every second to have him back. He kept on thinking that it was all his fault, and if it wasn't for him trying to be the hero all the time, Sirius wouldn't have died.... Despite the fact that the Dursleys were treating him nicely, his summer was crushed by his godfather's, and mentor's, death.  
  
Harry woke up at around 8 o'clock, as the rising sun punctured the sky into a luminous, orange glow which poured through the window into his room and waking him up. Drowsy and sorrowful, he stood up from his bed and walked to the long mirror in his messy room. He looked into the mirror at the reflection of himself. He had jet-black hair which was never tidy, just like his father. He had round glasses which he broke so many times that Hermione was doing endless spells to fix them whenever he went back to Hogwarts. Underneath his glasses were green eyes, like his mother. He looked at himself closely, examining all details. He didn't quite look 16 years old. He still looked skinny and fumbly as usual, even if Aunt Petunia was starting to feed him right.   
  
"I look horrible," muttered Harry, staring at his image in the mirror. "Maybe this is why Cho broke up with me."  
  
Still glaring at his ugly reflection, he thought about Cho and their previous relationship. Cho Chang, a Ravenclaw, and Harry had dated for a very short last year, and after noticing how mournful she was over Cedric, broke up with her. Though at the end of the year he got over Cho, his feelings for her came back during the summer. From mourning so much from Sirius, it started to seem to him that Cho wasn't so bad after all.  
  
They were both Seekers in Quidditch. Cho Chang was the Ravenclaw Seeker and Harry was the Gryffindor Seeker. Of course, he didn't know if he'd ever be able to play Quidditch again.   
  
Sighing that he'd never get her back, he went downstairs for breakfast where he found Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley. He had a bushy mustache, didn't have much of a neck and was very fat. Aunt Petunia on the other hand had a skinny body, a pointy nose and a long neck which she used to spy on the neighbors. Dudley was a blond boy his age who was extremely fat. Dudley was always chubby (although he was starting to get a bit muscular the year before), but never like this summer. The previous year he had worked up a bold physique from wrestling, but since wrestling had been cancelled in Dudleys 5th year, he had lost all his muscle and gained, well, just blubber. He filled up two chairs and had many chins. Harry tried counting his chins once. He got lost after counting 5 chins. Uncle Vernon got up and started shouting at Dudley.  
  
"I can't stand it anymore!" shouted Uncle Vernon, putting down his newspaper. "Boy, you are getting fatter by the minute! I don't care what happens, we are putting you on a diet again!  
  
"But Vernon," said Aunt Petunia, "he is a growing boy!"  
  
"He might be growing, but he's not supposed to be filling up 2 chairs! I won't wait until he can't fit in the house!"  
  
Harry was laughing at their fight. They looked at him with a surprised and embarrassed look. They didn't know Harry was there, and they were ashamed of their scene. They always tried to show that they had the perfect family (which was as false as Professor Snape being a kind person). They tried to ignore the situation and went back to what they were doing.  
  
Aunt Petunia gave him his breakfast: a glass of milk with and a muffin, a pancake, an egg and a few slices of bacon. Aunt Petunia went over and gave Champion his meal. Champion was the pug Aunt Marge gave Dudley for his birthday. Aunt Petunia never liked dogs, but she tried hard to like Champion. Harry hated the dog. A week ago the dog chased him up a tree.   
  
"Harry, are you happy it's your 16th birthday?" asked Aunt Petunia with a smile, walking back to Harry.  
  
"I guess so," answered Harry. "I don't look 16 years old though. I look like a messy, scraggy freak!"  
"You do not!" said Aunt Petunia, pinching his cheek. "You're becoming less skinny, you know. If you want some more pancakes, I can-"  
  
"It's all right, Aunt Petunia. My breakfast is big enough."  
  
Aunt Petunia nodded and went back and made herself her breakfast.  
  
"Speaking of you being a messy freak, we decided to give you some nice presents," uttered Uncle Vernon bluntly, putting down his newspaper again. "Honey, would you mind getting the presents?"  
"Not at all," answered Petunia, running quickly out the kitchen and into the hallway outside. She came back with at least 5 large presents. Harry's heart almost skipped a beat. He had never received so many presents from the Dursleys. Aunt Petunia   
  
laid the presents next to Harry as he glared at them excitedly.  
  
"You can open them now," said Aunt Petunia.  
  
Harry ripped open the presents in awe and saw that the Dursleys had bought him new clothes. He opened their parcels and boxes, and he found many nice sweaters, t-shirts, pants and such. He opened his final gift and revealed a very pleasantly-designed box. He gently opened it and discovered it was a handsome black and white suit with dress pants, blouse, tie and jacket. Harry had never received a suit, despite that Dudley had outgrown many of his. He gently touched the soft fabric of his new suit.  
  
"We thought you needed one," mentioned Uncle Vernon, taking a sip of his coffee.  
  
"Thank you so much!" thanked Harry.   
  
Not controlling his actions, Harry hugged his aunt and uncle. His uncle was startled at what Harry had done, although his aunt was kind of expecting it. Harry had never hugged any of the Dursleys before, but he felt it necessary to. He absolutely loved the gifts.  
  
"We're so glad you like them," said Aunt Petunia. "Now Harry, we're going to be having a meal for your birthday, and I'm baking you a marvelous cake. Is that all right?"  
"It's more than all right!" said Harry was a large smile on his face. He was so happy to be having such a wonderful birthday. Suddenly, the dog started barking.  
  
"It seems like Champion needs a walk," stated Dudley after swallowing a mouth full of pancakes. "Harry, would you mind giving Champion his walk?"  
  
Harry, feeling obligated to do it (and he did mind walking Champion), left his already half-eaten breakfast and amazing presents, put the dog on its leash and went out the door. He glared at the house beside him, which belonged to Ms. Figgs, a Squib. She was visiting relatives in Kent, and Harry was starting to miss having tea with her. She was the only one other than Harry who was a part of the wizarding community in the neighborhood.  
  
Harry and Champion took a paced walk around Privet Drive. The neighbors and others living on Privet Drive all stared at Harry as if he was a monster. They heard of the lies Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had told them the years before. Even though his aunt and uncle told the neighbors they were just joking, they still didn't think good of Harry.   
  
"If only they knew," sighed Harry to himself.  
  
Champion pulled away from Harry. Harry gripped tightly onto the leash as the dog pulled at it. Champion loosened himself out of the leash and ran away from Harry. He quickly realized Champion had escaped and chased after the dog. He finally caught up with him after a long chase around the neighborhood and put its leash back on. He looked up and he didn't like what he saw.   
  
It was Fred, Ned and Ed, Dudley's new friends. Dudley and his friends were the bullies on the block, terrorizing the children and the whole neighborhood. His parents never knew about it of course. They knew their Diddy Dumpkins was a wonderful boy.  
  
Fred had black spiky hair and always wore leather. Ned wore a backwards Lakers hat and L.A. Lakers jersey (they were from America). Ed had blue hair and wore baggy clothes. All of them looked like chubby punks.  
  
They always picked on Harry, and he hated them very much. Dudley had always made light jokes in front of his friends to Harry, but he made sure they didn't hurt him. What Dudley didn't know was that when he wasn't around, the three of them would beat up Harry and had threatened to beat him up even more if he told the Dursleys about them bullying him.   
  
"Well, look who we found!" said Ed.  
  
Harry backed away from them and ran like lightening, still holding onto Champion. He ran across the park and across the park's parking lot. He ran and ran until he was in a dead end. He had no where to go. The bullies were very slow. They were  
  
as fat as Dudley. They cornered him at the dead end, giving Harry no way of escape. They held him against the wall and started hitting and punching him.   
  
"Happy Birthday, birthday boy! Here's your present!" said Ned before he punched Harry.  
  
"Is your mommy going to give you a present? Oh no! I forgot! She's dead!" said Fred.   
  
Dudley told them all about Harry. Harry felt hopeless, he couldn't do anything. All the punches given to him were hurting him immensely.  
  
He felt tears forming in his eyes. He looked at the cars parked at the lot a bit further from him. He was burning red with anger of what Dudley's obese friends were doing to him. He glared at the blue car in the parking lot near them. Suddenly, like magic, he noticed that the blue car was starting to move, and then was heading for them.   
  
With his sore arm loose from being beaten up, he pointed at the car straight ahead.  
  
Ed, Fred and Ned glared at where Harry was pointing his finger and saw the car heading towards them. They screamed and howled in fright and ran away as their chubby bodies could let them, running back to their home.   
  
Harry started laughing his head off. He figured that what got him so angry may have magically moved the car. He remembered the time he blew up Aunt Marge. He thought he would go to Azkaban.   
  
Looking back at the car, he noticed the car was still moving. It was heading for him! Scared at the vehicle approaching him quickly, he ran away as far as he could.   
  
Looking back a few times at the mad car, he ran right into the forest at the edge of the park. It was as if the car was following him in. After a while, the car lost track of him.   
  
Panting and trying to retrieve his breath from running, Harry looked around him. There was no one there in the woods. Not even squirrels or birds were scurrying or flying about. All the giant trees stretched out to the sky and almost covered the bright sky, and instead filled the ceiling with lush, green leaves on their outstretched branches.   
  
It was a beautiful and quiet wood, and he walked backwards, admiring the sight,   
  
right into a ditch.   
  
"Ow!" he shouted, as he ankle twisting with a crack.  
  
He had broken his ankle. He let out a huge scream, but nobody heard him. He lied in pain in the ditch, waiting for help to arrive. His arms and chest were starting to heal from the beatings the three bullies gave him.  
  
After an hour and a half, Champion found him. He sniffed at him and backed away. Harry found a long wooden stick. He used it to get himself up from the ditch he had fallen into. He held onto Champion's leash and limped back to #4 Privet Drive.   
  
By the time he got there, the Dursleys had just started eating dinner. Harry threw the stick aside and hopped on one foot to the door. As he went upstairs, Champion wobbled into the kitchen. Harry could hear the family praising the dog. Aunt Petunia left the kitchen and spotted Harry going to his bedroom.   
  
"Harry, what are you doing? Come downstairs, we can't have the dinner without you!"  
"Sorry. It's just, my ankle-"  
"Oh dear!" gasped Aunt Petunia, as she saw Harry limping down the stairs. "Go  
  
back upstairs into the bathroom. I'll help you with that."  
  
Angry that he had to limp all the way back upstairs, he went up the stairs and into the bathroom. He sat himself down on the toilet, while Aunt Petunia rushed up their a few seconds afterwards.   
  
"We're going to have to see the doctor tomorrow morning," said Aunt Petunia, entering the bathroom. "I'll make the appointment tonight."  
  
Aunt Petunia searched and searched in the medicine cabinet and the one under the sink for something for Harry's ankle. She found some alcohol and dabbed some on his ankle. She found two short, stiff, wooden rods and a long tension bandage. She put the two sticks on each side of his ankle and wrapped the tension bandage around his ankle.   
  
"This should make it a bit more stable," said Aunt Petunia, putting everything back into the cabinet. "Let's go downstairs. You can lean on my shoulder."  
  
Harry slowly stood up, put his arm uncomfortably around his aunt's long neck and went down into the dining room table. The dinner set was laid nicely on the table with candles, and platters of scrumptious food made Harry so hungry. He had forgotten he had missed lunch, and all the hunger inside him turned his stomach into knots.   
  
Aunt Petunia helped Harry into his chair and tucked him in. They had an unbelievably delicious meal with all of Harry's favourite foods, and he quickly gobbled anything that was put on his plate. A few times, the members of the Dursleys looked at him strangely at the way he ate. He was just so hungry from not having lunch that he ate his food so savagely.  
  
Once all the food was gone, Aunt Petunia cleaned up all the plates and brought from the kitchen a gorgeous cake with strawberries and multi-coloured icing all around the layers of pastry. The glow of the candles shaped as the number 16 reflected into Harry's eyes as he glared amazed at the cake.  
  
"Happy birthday to you," sang the Dursleys (Uncle Vernon and Dudley looking tortured while singing it). "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Harry. Happy birthday to you!"  
His aunt laid the cake gently in front of Harry, the candles flickering with light.  
  
"Make a wish," whispered Aunt Petunia, "anything you want."  
  
Harry knew of anything he wanted. He would want to turn back time so that Sirius Black wouldn't have died. He knew, of course, that it was not possible. He immediately thought of a more simple wish.   
  
I wish that my 16th year will be a great year, thought Harry, as he blew out the candles. All the Dursleys clapped softly once the candles were extinguished. The cake was passed around in slices and Harry savoured every morsel of it. During that period of time, Vernon cleared his throat for an announcement.  
  
"I want to make an announcement," announced Uncle Vernon, laying down his fork. "In a few of days, you two boys will be studying for your driver's licenses. I applied both of you in courses starting the 4th of August. It might be soon, but it's good to get it over with."  
  
Harry was thrilled at the announcement Uncle Vernon made. He had completely forgotten that at 16 years old, you could get a driver's license. He was honoured that Uncle Vernon would sign him up for them, and was deeply excited.  
  
"Thank you, Uncle Vernon!" thanked Harry.  
  
"Your welcome, boy."  
"Can I get a car?" asked Dudley. Dudley had just finished devouring his 3rd piece of cake.  
  
"Of course, my boy!" answered Vernon. "We'll get you one for when school starts."  
  
"What about Harry?" snickered Dudley, looking mischievously at Harry.  
  
"Now Dudley, we can't afford to buy two cars. Besides, Harry's going to that strange school of his, and he won't need a car."  
  
"That's all right with you, is it Harry?" asked Petunia, making sure they weren't trying to put him down.  
  
"It's all right," responded Harry. "It's great to drive and all, but I don't need a car. I'd be at school most of the time, and I wouldn't need it there."  
  
"Good," said Uncle Vernon.  
  
"May I be excused?" asked Harry. "I'd like to rest upstairs."  
  
"Of course, dear!" said Aunt Petunia. "And remember, tomorrow we're going to the doctor's at 10 am, so you'll have to be ready by then."  
  
Harry nodded and limped out of his chair to the hallway where he tried going up the stairs carefully. He hopped up to his room and laid himself on his bed, his sore ankle propped onto the foot of his bed. While relaxing in his cozy bed, he heard a familiar hooting noise from outside. He looked out the window and found it was his faithful snowy owl, Hedwig. The owl glided in his room, and perched itself on his lap. She nipped his finger affectionately and hopped into her cage.   
  
Follwing Hedwig came 5 other owls behind her. The first owl was a very serious, barn owl who bore a small badge that said, 'O.W.L. Results Delivery'. He looked enthusiastic at that owl, excited and nervous at what his O.W.L. results could be. One bore the Hogwarts crest on its chest. It was holding two letters and a package. The second owl was a small fluffy owl that belonged to his best friend, Ron Weasley. The other two owls he didn't know where they came from, and was curious to know who they belonged to. He took all the letters and packages and let the owls fly back to where they came from. He opened the first letter quickly, anxious to see his O.W.L. results. His heart was racing as he slowly opened it. He was surprised at his score.  
  
Dear student,  
  
You have succeeded at completing your O.W.L.s successfully. After participating in the O.W.L. exams qualified to do in your 5th year, you will receive the marks of which you had been noted by our intellectual and professional examiners. Please keep this  
  
letter for further notice, for many job applications require the marks of your O.W.L.s.  
  
Your marks have been represented using the following the letter marking below:  
  
O = oustanding  
  
E = exceeds expectations  
  
A = acceptable  
  
P = poor  
  
D = dreadful  
  
  
  
Name of student: Mr. Harry James Potter  
  
School of student: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
  
Here are your marks of your O.W.L's:  
  
Transfiguration: O  
  
History of Magic: A  
  
Potions: O  
  
Charms: O  
  
Care of Magical Creatures: O  
  
Divinations: E  
  
Herbology: O  
  
Defense Against the Dark Arts: O  
  
Astronomy: E  
  
Ancient Runes: A  
  
The O.W.L. examination staff hopes that you will continue to do good and keep up your good work at your academy of witchcraft and wizardry. We hope that you will do your best at your NEWT exams.  
  
Sincerely,   
  
Griselda Marchbanks,   
  
Head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority   
  
  
  
Wow, he had done so well! He had never expected to have done as great as he had. He was completely shocked at his mark for Potions. He was sure he would have gotten either a P or a D. He though about the NEWT exams, which were supposed to be absolutely dreadful.  
  
He quickly opened up his first letter from Hogwarts and scanned it rapidly:  
  
Dear Mr. Harry Potter,  
  
We are pleased to know that you have succeeded at your O.W.L.s. Please send back a letter stating the NEWT courses you will be taking this year. Considering your career decisions as an Auror, you are required to include these classes in your NEWTs: Transfiguration, Potions, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts. You are also encouraged to take Divinations which can be an aid to tracking down criminals and Herbology for herbal remedies.  
  
Once your letter has come in, we'll send you another letter containing your NEWT school supplies for your courses.  
  
You have also been cleared of your life ban of Quidditch. You may receive your Firebolt when you come to Hogwarts.   
  
Sincerely,  
  
Professor McGonagoll,   
  
Deputy Headmistress at Hogwarts  
  
He wasn't banned from Quidditch anymore! This was probably the happiest news of all. He would even get his Firebolt back. He'd be so glad to see that broom again, the one Sirius gave him.....  
  
He was also pretty happy at the thought of starting his NEWT classes. He wondered how his NEWT classes would be like. He was so excited. He was frustrated though, that he was encouraged to take Divinations, one of his least favourite classes. Their former Divinations teacher, Professor Trelawney, was fired, and they were now being taught by Firenze, a centaur. Not having Professor Trelawney didn't make matters better, though. He still didn't quite understand it. The second one was from Hagrid, the groundskeeper at Hogwarts. He read the letter:  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
How are you? I hope you're having a good summer, and I hope those Muggles are treating you good. Oh, and happy birthday. The package contains my present. I got some help from Madame Maxime. We're dating again. Have you gotten your O.W.L.s yet? Hopefully, you'll get good marks. I bet you did great in Care of Magical Creatures.   
  
I've got great news! Firenze's back with all the centaurs. They made up and everything! Professor Trelawney has her job back, and now she's happier than ever.I can't wait this year. You're never going to believe what will happen this year. It's top secret, so I can't tell you. Oh, and guess what? You-Know-Who has gone to Italy to take over. He's losing. He only has half his army. The war is in Sicily. I heard Hermione went to Italy. I think she's okay.   
  
Hagrid  
  
Harry was shocked. There was a war in Italy against Lord Voldemort? He thought about this in confusion. He had remembered the talk that he and Professor Dumbledore had at the end of the year. The Headmaster had told him about a prophecy concerning Lord Voldemort and himself. 'Either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives', the Prophecy had stated. If he was the only one to vanquish Lord Voldemort, why were others trying to destroy Lord Voldemort? Maybe the Prophecy meant that the 'one' person who can defeat Lord Voldemort was himself, but having armies was a whole entire different story. Even so, they hadn't even asked him to fight, and he could have killed him! He didn't really want to fight in a war, though. It would be too risky.   
  
He also wondered how strong the other side was, and who was in charge of it. He opened the package. They were cookies with the letters HP on every one of them. He took a bite. They tasted good. He remembered how bad Hagrid's cooking was. He put them aside and read Ron's letter.:  
  
  
  
Happy birthday Harry! How's your summer? Guess what? My father got a raise! I used some of the money I got for your present. Fred and George now have bought the joke shop in Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley also have a new candy store called "Sweetsland". It's the biggest one in England! I can't wait. I got my O.W.L's. Mom was quiet impressed. I got an O in Potions! Can you believe it? The O.W.L. examination for Potions was all right (probably because Snape wasn't taunting us during the whole thing!). I can't believe about that war in Italy. I heard Hermione's vacationing in Italy, but she's probably not in Sicily. I'll meet you at Diagon Alley!  
  
Ron  
  
Harry opened the package and found a pack of quills and ink bottle with his name engraved on them. He was so happy his friend's father got a raise, since his family deserved it greatly. He put them aside and picked up the third letter. It was from Hermione. From reading the rest of the letters, he became a bit worried about Hermione in Italy. He opened the letter and read its content:  
  
  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
I hope you're having a good birthday. By the way, happy birthday! I was shocked of the war in Italy. I hope Lord Voldemort will be defeated. It's still weird saying his name. I'm in Rome. It is so amazing here! It's a whole separate world with no Muggles. It looks exactly like the Muggle Italy, except that the Tower of Pisa is not leaning and the Colosseum is restored to its original shape. They are so up-to-date here. They don't even use quills! They use these kind of pens. The fashion is great, and I'm learning so much here. I saw the Royals' Palace. How did you do on your O.W.L.s? I think I did great, although I only got an E in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Well, I have to go now. I have to finish my tan.   
  
Love,  
  
Hermoine  
  
  
  
Royals? What Royals? he thought to himself. Harry was starting to get frustrated about all the things they weren't telling him. This is exactly what they did last year!   
  
Trying not to get too angry on his birthday, he opened the package. It was a beautiful leather dress-robe. He pulled it out of the box and put it on. It fitted him perfectly and he felt very good in it. It also made him feel very handsome and sharp as well, and added shape to his scronny self. He quickly remembered about Cho Chang. He wondered if he'd seem more attractive to her with this on. Who was he kidding, they'd broken up and he'd never get her back, or would he?   
  
He took it off and put it aside, and took the last letter and package (which was quite large). He had no idea who it was from, so he opened it curiously and quicky. He read the letter:  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
This is Remus Lupin. Happy Birthay to you. I thought it necessary to keep in touch with you, considering the loss of Sirius. I thought maybe we could be friends, and we could help each other during this horrible time. I know you're hurting, and I feel I should be there for you. You are my best friend's son and my other friend' godson of course!  
  
I've now landed a great job in the Auror Department, and I'm now one of the chiefs there. It's a large wage too! My grandmother died, and she left me her house and a lot of her fortune in her will. It's a big house in London and you're welcome to come.   
  
If you want, you can stay with me for a couple of weeks. I'm off work for two weeks for vacation. Don't worry, the full moon won't show up during then. Because Voldemort's in Italy, you don't have to worry about anyone going after you.   
  
I'm glad of this war. I hope that evil wizard gets trampled. He obviously will with who's battling him.   
  
I heard about your broom, and you being banned from Quidditch. I talked to the professors at Hogwarts and Ministry, and I found out you were cleared of that, thank goodness! I thought that would give me an idea for a present. I got it imported from Italy last week, though it's been translated into English for you. I hope you get good marks for your O.W.L.s. I heard of what's happening at Hogwarts. Lucky!  
  
Remus  
  
Harry was shocked at the letter. Remus was now speaking to him, like a friend. He was feeling so lost with Sirius gone, and he was overwhelmed with excitement that he'd be able to get to know Remus a bit better.   
  
He wondered if the Dursleys would let him go. He was so excited to see Remus' new house. Remus was fighting with poverty most of his career because he was a werewolf, and Harry was so proud of him that he had a great job.   
  
He was becoming very suspicious about this war in Italy. He slowly took the present out of the package, ripping the paper gently. Once all the parcel was gone, he found out it was a new broom! It was called the Stella-Velocita 29, which was what it said in gold along the side of the stick. It was made of metal and its tail was not made of straw, but straight strings of steal wool. He was impressed by its craftsmanship. It even had a seat and a handle. Strangely, it had a little computer that showed the distance and speed of the broom. It also came with an instruction manual. He became even happier.   
  
But what about his Firebolt? What would he do with it? He thought more about it, about flying on each broom. He couldn't bare to try and fly on the broom Sirius gave to him. It was too dear to him.   
  
He put everything under the loose board under his bed, hopped to his desk, grabbed one of Ron's quills and ink bottle and started writing to Hagrid:  
  
Dear Hagrid,  
  
Thanks! I really like the cookies. I'm really confused about this war though. I also hope L-, I mean You-Know-Who will be defeated. Guess what, Hagrid? Fred and George own their own joke shop in Diagon Alley, Ron's father got a raise, Remus is now a chief at the Auror Headquarters and I might be staying at his house for a while! Hagrid, do you know who the 'Royals' are? I did pretty good on my O.W.L.s. Can't wait to go back to school.   
  
Harry  
  
Harry took another parchment and started writing Ron's letter:  
  
Dear Ron,  
  
Thanks a bunch for the gift! Hagrid got me cookies. They don't taste like Hippogryff droppings either! I'm really happy for you and your family. I can't believe of the war in Italy. And guess what? I got a new broom! It's called the Stella-Velocita 29, and it's imported from Italy. Remus is now one of the chief Aurors, and he has a new house. He asked if we could be friends and everything, and I'm so excited! Hagrid said something special will happen this year. I did pretty good on my O.W.L.s. Can't wait 'til Diagon Alley!  
  
Harry  
  
  
  
He started writing Hermione's:  
  
Dear Hermione,  
  
Thanks so much for the robe. It's fantastic! Italy sounds great. I really do hope they get rid of Lord Voldemort! Hermione, who are the 'Royals' ? Hagrid said something great will happen at Hogwarts this term. I can't wait. Remus has a new job and I might be staying with him for a while. Ron's dad got a raise. I'm happy for him! You shouldn't get mad about your Defense Against the Dark Arts mark. It figures, considering that Professor Umbridge was horrible. I got an O in Potions, which is quite surprising. It's probably because Professor Snape wasn't hovering and sneering over me during the OWL's exams. See you at Diagon Alley!  
  
Harry  
  
With excitement, he started writing Remus' letter:  
  
Dear Remus,  
  
I can't believe it! Thank you so much for the offer to visit! I have to ask the Dursleys about it though. It's great being able to talk to you. I've been so lonely this summer. All I can think about is my godfather....   
  
I broke my ankle when walking Dudley's dog. It's a long story. I really do hope You-Know-Who dies. I really can't stand him. Who's the leader of the other side anyway? And what are the 'Royals'? Ron's father got a raise and Fred and George own their own joke shop at Diagon Alley. Hermione's vacationing in Italy. I did pretty good on my O.W.L.s. Thank you so, so, so much for the broom. I can't wait to fly it. I'm going to get my Firebolt back, but I won't fly it. All I'll think about is Sirius on that broom. Hopefully, I'll see you in two weeks!  
  
Harry  
  
Harry took out another piece of parchment for his letter to Hogwarts. Before he dipped his quill in more ink, he put the end of the quill to his mouth in thought. Which classes should I take? he thought to himself. He was obviously going to take the four he needed without a doubt. He absolutely wouldn't take History of Magic. The last thing he needed during his NEWT years were tons of useless notes to memorize. Unfortunately, he would probably take the classes encouraged to be taken. Just when I thought I could get out of seeing into nothing! he though. He would probably take Care of Magical Creatures, since it was his friends Hagrid who would be teaching them. The only ones he wouldn't be taking would be Ancient Runes, Astronomy and History of Magic.   
  
Once his decision was made, he thought what he would write, and started scribbling on the parchment his letter to Professor McGonagoll.  
  
Dear Professor McGonagoll and Administration of Hogwarts,  
  
For my NEWT classes, I have chosen to study Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology and Divinations (he wrote in frustration).   
  
Harry  
  
"Maybe being 16 years old isn't so bad," he said to himself.   
  
Putting back everything, he spotted the mirror Sirius had given him under his bed. He pulled it out to take a look at it. As he watched his reflection in the mirror, all he could think about was the death of his godfather. The death still hadn't sunken in, and he wanted more than anything to have him back. Clutching the mirror to his chest, he laid back onto the bed and drifted off in sleep, dreaming more about Sirius' death.  
  
Author's Note: I SOOOO hope you liked that. Hopefully tomorrow, or sometime soon, I'll put up the 2nd Chapter called: The Burning Scar. I've written the whole story already, I just have to edit it. AND OH PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLLLLLEEEEAAASSSSEEEE REVIEW! And please no flames, I'm delicate. This is like my baby.... my precious....OK, that was creepy. 


	2. The Burning Scar

Harry Potter   
  
and the Princesses for Magic  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its concepts, JK Rowling does. It would be cool to own it though.... *fantasizes about writing Harry Potter books and jumping in money. Suddenly gets out of day-dreaming*. OKAY! Now back to reality!  
  
Author's Note: Hey readers! If you're reading this, I totally thank you! Super thanks to those 3 reviewers who reviewed my last chapter! So after slaving over this thing for a year, I finally came up with this: my fanfic. NOw this chapter's called 'the burning scar'. DUNDUNDAAAA!!!! Well, the title might give you a hint, so PLEEASE read and review!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
The Burning Scar  
  
Harry woke up after a long, deep sleep of horrible nightmares. He was dripping with cold sweat all over. He had just woken up from another nightmare of that terrible night at the Ministry of Magic. Once he remembered all that happened in his dream, he remembered the war that was going on.   
  
Could there really be a war against Lord Voldemort? he though to himself. And who would be battling him? He thought it over very much. Then he had an idea: could it be Dumbledore who was battling him? Harry knew that the only person Voldemort feared, other than Harry, was Professor Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But of course, Dumbledore lived in England, or did he? Would he go all the way to the Wizard World Sicily to have a war with Voldemort? But, would he want to have a war?   
  
Harry was also frustrated about the fact that the Ministry of Magic, nor the Order of the Phoenix, didn't contact him about the matter. Of anyone who should know about the war, it should be him! It would be either Harry or Lord Voldemort who would die in the end, wouldn't it? He became even more confused with all those questions swirling around in his head.  
  
He hopped off his bed, but slipped. He had a severe pain in his foot. He remembered he had broken his ankle the day before, and it still hadn't healed. He suddenly remembered about the appointment to go to the doctor's at 10 am. He looked aside to where his alarm clock was: it was 9 o'clock, enough time to get ready.  
  
He grabbed his letters and put them on his bed. He limped to Hedwig's cage, as the white owl slept soundly inside, and tapped it. Unfortunately, Hedwig didn't wake up. She was sound asleep. Harry tapped her cage, but yet again, she didn't budge. Harry got fed up and tapped Hedwig on her head. Hedwig woke up with an angry look in her large owl eyes and gave a raging hoot at Harry.  
  
"Hedwig, I know you want to sleep in, but a job is a job! I need you to deliver these to Hogwarts, the Wizarding Examination Authority, Ron, Hagrid, Hermione and Remus. Be careful when you deliver Hermoine's letter, do that last. Just don't go anywhere near Sicily, okay? Be safe and have a good flight!"  
  
He took Hedwig out of her cage, tied the letters to her foot, perched her on his arm and let her fly away. He watched the owl fly until Hedwig was out of sight in the large, bright blue sky in his window.   
  
Remembering about his appointment, he got dressed. Once he was ready, he limped downstairs to eat breakfast. He went down the stairs and into the kitchen where he sat on an empty chair between Uncle Vernon and Dudley. Aunt Petunia went over to Uncle Vernon, kissed him on the cheek and gave him his breakfast: scrambled eggs, golden brown toast, bacon, sausages, a muffin, oranges and coffee. The aroma of everything on his plate and cup hovered in the air, giving the kitchen a warm, welcoming morning feel to it. She went over to Dudley, pinched his cheek and gave him his breakfast: oranges, low-fat yogurt, kiwis, grapefruit, whole grain toast with low-fat jam (no butter or margarine at all) and a glass of orange juice. Dudley quickly looked at his breakfast and became extremely red in the face (Harry thought he looked like an overgrown tomato).  
  
"Mom! What is this filth?" questioned Dudley in rage. "Look at this! Fruits, brown, ugly toast without any butter and low-fat yogurt! I want a decent breakfast! I don't want to become a rabbit!"   
  
"Now, Diddy Duddykins, your father and I have decided to put you on a diet," she said. "It's only for your own good, Dinkly Dins."  
  
"But- But - I want my real breakfast!"  
  
"NOW LISTEN BOY," screamed Uncle Vernon with a purple face. "I WILL NOT TAKE THIS RUBBISH! IF YOU DON'T SMARTEN UP, WE'LL NEED THE JAWS OF LIFE TO GET YOU OUT OF YOUR PANTS!"  
  
Harry burst out laughing once again. The subject of Dudley's weight was becoming a hilarious soap opera. They all looked with anger at him. Aunt Petunia laid down next to Harry a platter of a couple of slices of golden toast, scrambled eggs, sausages and bagel with cream cheese and a cup of orange juice. Uncle Vernon noticed how awfully loud Harry was laughing and darted his angry, tiny bulging eyes at him.  
  
"AND YOU!" he screamed, now looking even more purple than before. "I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR A SOUND OUT OF YOU! THIS DOESN'T CONCERN YOU! EVEN THOUGH DUDLEY IS VERY FAT, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MORE ABNORMAL! AND SO IS YOUR KIND! SO DON'T LOOK AT US LIKE THAT, BECAUSE YOU ABSOLUTELY KNOW THAT YOU'RE TWICE AS STRANGE!"  
  
"Vernon dear, don't yell at the boy!" scolded Aunt Petunia, looking disappointed at him. "We discussed this; no more jokes and comments of his... his kind."  
  
"But the boy needs to be have a lesson of respect towards people having arguments that don't concern him!" shouted Uncle Vernon.  
  
"Then just tell him!" implied Aunt Petunia. She turned to Harry. "Harry, please don't laugh at our arguments. They're serious and there's nothing funny about them."  
  
"Yes, Aunt Petunia," agreed Harry, feeling a bit ashamed about himself.  
  
Harry quickly stopped laughing. He ate his delicious breakfast, laid his plate in the sink and headed out the door.   
  
"I'm going to brush my teeth to get ready for the doctor's appointment," told Harry, as he limped out of the kitchen.  
  
But before he went out of the kitchen, Aunt Petunia stopped him.  
  
"Just a minute, Harry," she said in a sleek voice. "Tell us, what happened with Champion yesterday?"   
  
"Well, w-well...See, the truth is, I was walking Champion when he got loose. I rushed after him. I caught him and when I looked up I saw Fred, Ed and Ned. Then they started chasing me and..."  
  
He knew he couldn't tell about the car, so he quickly made something up.   
  
"...but they lost me when I went into the forest. I walked backwards into a ditch and broke my ankle. Champion found me and I brought him back. That's it really."  
  
"Well, Fred, Ed and Ned told Dudley that you made a car go tow-"  
  
Suddenly, it was as if everything was paused; everything and everyone was frozen in time. Harry tried to see if he could still budge, and he moved with as much ease as usual. He could move, but apparently the Dursley family couldn't. Why was this so? Did he do something wrong? Had he used magic?  
  
A group of wizards burst into the door. One of the men was a balding man with some bit of red in his hair. He knew immediately who it was. It was Arthur Weasley, Ron Weasley's father. He worked in the Ministry of Magic: the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.   
  
"Well hello, Harry!" he said with a big smile. "How are you?"  
  
"Oh, I'm all right. But what are you doing here? Isn't the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office your job?"  
  
"I'm here concerning the car incident. Yes it is, Harry, but somebody in this department was sick and since I have experience in handling with Muggles seeing magic, I volunteered. I also volunteered because you were involved. I'm getting another raise for this."  
  
"I heard of your previous raise. Congratulations!"  
  
"Thank you. Well, I guess I should put a Memory Charm on these Muggles. We already dealt with the car and those three brothers. This is our last stop."  
  
Three of the men waved their wands and performed the Memory Charm on each member of the Dursley family.   
  
"Well, I have to go," sighed Mr. Weasley, looking at the clock on the wall. "By the way, I heard you'll be visiting Remus."  
  
"Oh yes, in two weeks, but I have to ask the Dursleys first."  
  
"Well I'd better be off. I'll see you in Diagon Alley. Goodbye!"  
  
"Goodbye!"  
  
All the men walked out of the room and out the house. The Dursleys started moving again. They all looked confused of what happened. Aunt Petunia looked at Harry in a suspicious manner.  
  
"W-w-w-what was I saying before?" she said, putting her hand to her head.   
  
"You...I was just telling you that a friend of my late dad sent me a letter and wrote that I could stay with him for a while."  
  
"Is that all right with Professor Dumbidorn?" asked Aunt Petunia in a worried look.  
  
"His name is Dumbledore, and he told me it was all right. Can I go?"   
  
"I suppose so," said Aunt Petunia. "When will you be visiting this person?"  
  
"In about two weeks."  
  
"All right."  
  
With Aunt Petunia not looking, Vernon and Dudley gave each other giant excited smiles.  
  
"So, you'll be gone for two weeks?" asked Vernon with glee spread all over his face.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"All right," he sighed happily, turning back to his newspaper.  
  
"You should go and get ready for the doctor's appointment," reminded Aunt Petunia.  
  
Harry went upstairs to brush his teeth and wash his face. He limped down the stairs as Aunt Petunia was putting on her coat in the foyer.  
  
"Hurry up!" she said. "We have to be there soon!"  
  
Harry hurriedly put on his shoes and jacket and headed out the door into the car. They drove all the way to the doctor's office, where the doctor examined his ankle and gave him a cast. It was the first time Harry was in a cast, and he felt it quite odd on his foot.  
  
When they arrived back at the house, Harry limped upstairs to start packing for his trip. He was so excited about it that it was all he wanted to do at the moment. He grabbed some extra empty suit cases and started packing. It was very easy, considering he didn't have very many things. He even put away the new clothes that he gotten for his birthday.   
  
When he was half-way through packing, he felt a burn in his scar. He tried to ignore it, but the burning kept on getting stronger and stronger. He heard strange noises coming from outside the house, very suspicious noises.   
  
He looked out the window and there he saw a parade of witches and wizards. He   
  
saw his friends, such as Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. He also saw Ginny Weasley, Ron's little sister. He saw some graduated Hogwarts students as well such as Fred and George Weasley, Ron's twin older joke-pulling brothers and Percy Weasley, Ron's snobbish older brother who worked for Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic. He even noticed Hagrid and the teachers. He was so confused about the whole situation. What was happening? Was Lord Voldemort defeated in the war and now they were having a celebration? He didn't know at all, he couldn't figure out any answer. He was all confused, and dizzy. He started to sway and then...he collapsed.  
  
*****  
  
After what seemed like a long while, Harry woke up from being unconscious. He looked up at the ceiling, and he realized he was propped onto his bed. He got up and looked at the clock. It was 6:00 in the evening. He limped downstairs to catch supper. When he got to the kitchen, the Dursleys had almost finished their meal. Harry took his seat. Aunt Petunia rushed over to Harry and hugged him. She looked so worried.  
  
"Harry, are you all right?" she asked.  
  
"Of course I am," said Harry, looking at her strangely. "What's the fuss all about?"  
  
"We were so worried about you," she said. "Sit down and I'll give you your meal."  
  
Aunt Petunia laid a plate of spinach, fish, string beans and spaghetti when Dudley spoke up.  
  
"Now, why'd you have to come down?" he said. "It was so nice without you around, those past two days." After saying this, Aunt Petunia gave him a very angry look.  
  
Harry looked at them with confusion. Had he really been passed out for two  
  
days? There were so many new questions in his head at the moment.   
  
"Remember Harry, you're starting your Driver's Ed tomorrow," mentioned Uncle Vernon bluntly.  
  
"Yes," said Harry. "I'll remember."  
  
He ate quickly and went back upstairs. He sat on his bed and looked up and the ceiling, just thinking. Until bed time, all he did was think, think and think. He fell asleep trying to find answers to all his questions, but he couldn't. When he slept, he dreamt of that awful dream again....Sirius falling...the flash from Bellatrix's wand.... the screams....  
  
Author's Note: That was a bit shorter than the other one, but oh well! Next chapter's called: A Mentor. It's containing Harry Potter getting his driver's license and him going over to Remus'! Believe me, it's more interesting than it seems. It's actually a very important one because Harry learns a valuable lesson from Remus, and Remus learns something important about Harry. DUNDUNDA!!!!! PLEEEEEAAASSSE REVIEW! 


	3. A Mentor

Harry Potter and the Princesses for Magic  
  
Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thank you all who read my story and reviewed! I totally appreciate it. For this chapter, Harry'll be getting his license and going to Remus' house and Remus will find out something about Harry that he never knew before. So read and review me about what you think!  
  
Chapter 3  
  
A Mentor  
  
Harry woke up with a headache. He got up and limped to his window, remembering his broken ankle and the parade the day before. Out the window was a sunny morning with birds flying everywhere and squirrels running about.   
  
Just look at the birds and squirrels, he thought to himself. So free, free from all chaos of Lord Voldemort and whatnot. They don't have to worry about saving the world, or thinking anyone is against them. To think, I might be just as free when I'm on the open road.....  
  
That day Harry started his Driver's Education classes which were at a local community center. Uncle Vernon brought him and Dudley to an old building in the corner of Community Crescent and Waterlot Road, which in big red letters with chipped paint read the name: Little Whinging Community Center. Right after asking the secretary at the entrance where the classes were, they went to the 2nd floor of the building, where their classes would be held.   
  
"I'll pick you both up in an hour and a half," said Uncle Vernon. "Your class is the 2nd last room on your right."  
  
As Uncle Vernon left them, Harry walked with Dudley down the long hallway of tiled flooring and walls painted in bright colours to the 2nd last room on their right. The door was a bright shade of green and on a sign taped onto the door it said in large letters: DRIVER'S EDUCATION CLASS. Harry opened the door slowly, nervous of what they'd find inside.  
  
Once the door was opened, Harry found out it was a large bright-coloured classroom with a chalkboard that went all around the room, except for the wall on the right with giant windows. There were even desks all lined up in singular rows. Hung everywhere around the room were signs and posters that said, 'Drive safe!', 'A safe driver is a good driver' and such. A few 16-year-olds were already sitting and talking in their desks. A large, bulky man at the front welcomed them in.  
  
"Hello!" he said in a large voice. "Are you Dudley Dursley and Harry Potter?"  
  
"Yep," answered Dudley bluntly.  
  
"You're the last additions to our class. You may sit down."  
  
Dudley sat at the back of the room with his friends including Ed, Fred and Ned, who were taking the driving course as well. Harry took a seat closer to the front and close to the windows, which was surrounded by no one else but a shy teenage boy with freckles and blond hair with a comic book on his desk.  
  
"Hello," greeted Harry.  
  
"Good day!" said the boy in an Australian accent, with a forced smile.  
  
"I'm Harry," he said, with his hand out.  
  
"Hi, I'm Dave," said the boy, quickly shaking Harry's hand.  
  
"Are you from Australia?" asked Harry.  
  
"Oh yeah, I'm from Down Under. I'm here visiting my Grams, and my dad signed me up for the class. I don't know why, I don't think I really need it."  
  
"Why not?" asked Harry  
  
"Oh, just personal reasons. Hey, do you like comic books?"  
  
"They're all right, but I don't read them often."  
  
"Well, I got this new issue of-"  
  
As Dave excitedly picked up his comic book to show Harry, a magazine slipped out of it and landed on the desk without Dave knowing. Harry gave it a glance and realized it was a wizard magazine called Quidditch Weekly. Dave was a wizard! Harry's eyes were fixed on the magazine in interest (that Dave was a wizard and for the Quidditch tips).  
  
"-and- Harry? What are you- OH DEAR!"  
  
Dave noticed that Harry was looking at his wizard magazine and he quickly tucked it into his comic book.  
  
"It's nothing, really. My sister's a bit mad, so she collects those magazines-"  
  
Harry sat closer to him.  
  
"You're a wizard, aren't you?" he whispered into Dave's ear. Dave looked back in complete horror.  
  
"O-oh, of c-course not! W-wizards, d-d-don't believe in those th-things-"  
  
"It's okay if you're a wizard, Dave."  
  
"B-bu-t-t I-"  
  
"Dave," said Harry, pretty sure Dave was lying to him, "I'm a wizard too."  
  
Dave's eyes widened as he sighed in relief.  
  
"Thank goodness!" he sighed, holding his hand to his heart. "I almost thought I gave it away to a Muggle. My mum would have killed me if that happened. So you're a wizard?"  
  
"Yep, I go to Hogwarts."  
  
"I go to McLocklin's Academy in Australia. Wait a second, you're name's Harry and- you're Harry Potter!"  
  
"You've found out," sighed Harry. "Yes, I'm Harry Potter, scar and everything."  
  
"My goodness, I never thought I'd meet you!" said Dave, completely thrilled, and was even panting a bit from it. "I just can't - What happened to your foot?"  
  
Dave was looking at the cast on Harry's foot, which was still on.  
  
"Oh, that's a long story."  
  
"Anyway, I heard you're a great Seeker!"  
  
"I guess so. I was going to be banned from Quidditch, but they relieved me of it."  
  
"Banned from Quidditch? That's horrible, but I'm glad you're relieved from that. I love Quidditch, you know. At first I thought I'd be completely scared on a broom, but it's actually really fun, and so is Quidditch! I'm not on any of my school's teams though, but I'm pretty good at being a Chaser. You see, that's why I thought I didn't need a driver's license, I would ride a broom. My dad, being a Muggle and all, wants me to have a license."  
  
"You're dad's a Muggle? Are you Muggle-born?"  
  
"No, my mum's a witch."  
  
"I know someone who's dad's a Muggle and his mum's a witch."  
  
"So, you really saw You-Know-Who rise again?" asked Dave with wide eyes, looking very curious.  
  
"Yeah, it happened a year ago."  
  
"I was so amazed at that interview in the Quibbler. My mum doesn't really like the Quibbler, although I just had to read that interview. It sounded amazing.... Have you seen He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named any other times?"  
  
"Lots of times. I saw him... a month and a half ago...."  
  
It wasn't easy for Harry to say that. The night he saw Voldemort was the night Sirius died, and his encounter with Voldemort was awful.  
  
"I can't believe you've confronted him so many times," said Dave looking so impressed. "Me, the first sight of him, I'd freak. To think, all those times and you've lived to tell the tales!"   
  
"Did you hear about the war in Sicily?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yeah, I heard about that! Freaky, I tell you. The leaders are so cool too."  
  
"What leaders?" asked Harry, thinking he could finally find out who were the leaders trying to defeat Voldemort.  
  
"They're-"  
  
"Okay class, it's time to start," stated the bulky man up front. "I'm Mr. Drivedale and I'll be teaching you Driver's Ed. I'll pass you all the manuals and we'll start on the first chapter."  
  
Mr. Drivedale passed around all the manuals that they'd be able to keep. They discussed the first chapter that day, and by the end of the class, Harry was really excited to be getting his license. He became friends with Dave and chatted with him every class, although they were always interrupted when Dave was about to mention who were the leaders of the war. Their friendship made the lessons a lot more enjoyable, and made the final test less frightening.  
  
After a week, Harry had learned all to know about driving. He practically memorized the manual, and he tried to study so hard for the test. On the day of the driver's test, Harry was very nervous.   
  
Uncle Vernon dropped off the two at the community center where they went up to the class to do their written test. Pencils and tests turned upside down were laid on each desk. Harry sat right next to Dave, who was muttering to himself reviews of everything in the manual and was looking quite anxious.   
  
"Hi Dave!" greeted Harry.  
  
"Oh hello, Harry," said Dave, quite tense. "Did you study last night?"  
  
"I practically memorized the whole thing," answered Harry. "Dave, don't worry. You'll do fine!"  
  
"How do you know that?" asked Dave. "There could be a trick question on the test and-"  
  
"My uncle told my cousin and I that they don't do that, and it's pretty standard. As I said, you'll do fine!"  
  
"I hope so."  
  
"Everyone, turn over your papers and start your tests," declared Mr. Drivedale.  
  
Everyone at the same time turned over their tests. Harry picked up his pencil and quickly wrote his name at the top. He skimmed down at the questions, which came to him very quickly. He jotted down all the answers, pausing to fix a few of them, and then turned the test back over.   
  
After a while, Mr. Drivedale told them that time was up and picked up all the tests. While he corrected them, everyone else talked to their friends (while Dudley and his friends chucked paper at everybody else). Harry spoke to Dave, who was breathing deeply.  
  
"That wasn't so bad," sighed Dave.   
  
"Of course it wasn't! You'll do great."  
  
"I hope so. By the way, I got the new issue for Quidditch Weekly today. They have all these new models straight from the Wizard World Italy! They're marvelous, especially my favourite. It's called the Stella Velocita 29, and it's awesome."  
  
"I know," said Harry. "I have it."  
  
Dave's jaw dropped in shock.  
  
"Y-y-you have one?" stuttered Dave, looking amazed. "I-I just can't believe it. I heard you had the Nimbus 2000 and then the Firebolt, but I never thought that you'd have that one too.... You're so lucky when it comes to brooms. By the way, what happened to your brooms anyway?"  
  
"I broke one in a Quidditch match in my 3rd year," said Harry. "The other one was locked up in the school when I was banned from Quidditch. How do you know so much about me?"  
  
"They feature you a few times in Quidditch Weekly," responded Dave.  
  
Wow, I'm in Quidditch Weekly, thought Harry. He was finally being recognized for something other than trying to battle Lord Voldemort. He really wanted to see one of the articles about him though.  
  
"So, are you going to be getting your Firebolt back?" asked Dave.  
  
"I got a letter stating that I'd get it back, but I don't think I could ever ride it."  
  
Harry paused, and thought about the Firebolt. He could remember exactly what happened when he received it, that Hermione made him give it to Professor McGonagoll for checking, and how he wanted one so badly when in Diagon Alley. Then he thought about Sirius...... how he used his own money, even if he was in hiding.... poor Sirius....  
  
"Uhm... Why can't you ride it?" asked Dave curiously.  
  
"Oh, someone gave it to me, but they died this year," told Harry, looking down. "I just couldn't bear to fly that broom again not thinking about....about that person."  
  
"Gee, I'm really sorry about that. Who was it?"  
  
"I-I can't exactly tell you," said Harry, feeling a bit uncomfortable.  
  
"Oh all right. Hey look! Mr. Drivedale's passing the tests back!"  
  
Mr. Drivedale was indeed giving back all the tests, as many looked at their marks with various expressions. Some were so happy they jumped in their seats, and some were so furious that they almost ripped up the tests (including Dudley in the back). Mr. Drivedale went to Harry and Dave, and passed them their tests.  
  
"Congrats," said Mr. Drivedale, handing them their tests. "You both did great."  
  
Harry took his test and looked at the mark. He got 29/30! He was so proud of himself that he did wonderful on his test. Dave jumped for joy when he looked at his test.  
  
"Harry! I got 30 on 30! I did perfect!"  
  
"That's awesome! I got 29 on 30."  
  
"That's so cool! We rock!"  
  
Both of them gave each other high fives. Harry's hands trembled as he held the paper in his hands. Now all they had to do was do the actual driving for their driving test.  
  
All of the students went to the parking lot, where they would start their driving tests. They were huddled in a bunch, talking to one another and waiting for their turns. Harry walked with Dave outside, who was shivering to bits.  
  
"Harry, I'm freaked out!" said Dave, shivering a bit more.  
  
"Calm down, Dave! You studied and everything. Actually, you probably know more of the manual than all the others. You'll do fine, just like how great you did on the test."  
  
"I really hope you're right."  
  
A car with the sign: 'Little Whinging's Community Center Driving School' on its roof pulled up near the curve. A teenager hopped out of the car, showing his passed driving test to his friends and rushed over to them, excited. Mr. Drivedale came out of the car and looked at his clipboard to see who would be next.   
  
"Would Mr. Dave Clikale come to do his driving test?" called Mr. Drivedale.  
  
"Oh no, that's me!" said Dave, clutching to Harry. "I-I'm not too sure if I-"  
  
"Dave, I have total faith in you. Go and do your test."  
  
"Fine," sighed Dave, walking slowly to the car and going into the driver's seat.   
  
Harry waved goodbye, watching Dave in the car as he pushed the lever, pressed his foot onto the gas peddle and drove off into the road smoothly. He's going to do fine, thought Harry to himself. As Dave did his driving test, Harry tried to review all the things in the manual. After encouraging his new friend, he had to encourage himself, because he could feel butterflies fluttering away in his stomach.   
  
After a long 15 minutes, Dave drove back into the parking lot, and parked and parallel parked for the test. Afterwards, he parked along the curve. Dave opened the door, clutching a little piece of paper, and glaring at it once in a while with a smile as his hand shook mercilessly. He rushed over to Harry and gave him a hug.  
  
"Harry, I passed it with flying colours!" he said, hugging Harry very hard. "I made it! I made it!"  
  
"That's wonderful," congratulated Harry, so happy for his friend.   
  
Dave stepped away from Harry from their hug and showed Harry the paper confirming Dave could get his license.  
  
"Look, I did so well!" he said, showing Harry his test.  
  
"That's wonderful. So are you going to leave and get your license id?"  
  
"Of course not! You were here encouraging me, so I'm going to be here encouraging you."  
  
"Really? Thanks," said Harry, glad he had a really caring friend like Dave.  
  
"Would Mr. Dudley Dursley come here?" asked Mr. Drivedale.  
  
"Now it's my cousin's turn," said Harry, as he watched Dudley get into the car and after a while, drive off unsteadily.   
  
Dave told him all about the test. Harry was starting to get a bit anxious himself about everything. Once a few minutes passed, Dudley was back in the parking lot and made an unsteady stop near the curve. Mr. Drivedale came out of the car, looking a bit dazed. Dudley, holding a piece of paper, had a frustrated expression on his face.  
  
"He probably didn't do so well," said Harry.  
  
"I guess so."  
  
"Would Mr. Harry Potter come and do his driving test?" asked Mr. Drivedale, leaning his elbow on the hood of the car while looking at his clipboard.  
  
"Now it's my turn," sighed Harry, his butterflies fluttering more intensely in his stomach.  
  
"You're going to do great!" encouraged Dave as he gave him a pat on the back. "Good luck!"  
  
Harry smiled in appreciation and slowly walked to the car where Mr. Drivedale was.   
  
"Are you ready, Harry?" asked Mr. Drivedale.  
  
"I hope so," sighed Harry.  
  
Harry got into the car following Mr. Drivedale. He sat in the driver's seat, feeling so strange that he was there. He buckled his belt, and turned to Mr. Drivedale for instructions.  
  
"Now Harry," said Mr. Drivedale, turning to Harry, "the driving test consists of driving out of the parking lot and driving around the neighborhood. I'll tell you which roads to turn at. We're going to finish off with some parking exercises and then the exam will be over. Any questions?"  
  
"No sir," said Harry.  
  
"Would that cast on your foot by any problem to your driving?" asked Mr. Drivedale.  
  
"Oh no, it's just my ankle. It's just hard for me to walk a bit, but I'm all right."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
Harry adjusted the rear-view mirror. He saw the key in the ignition, and turned it slowly, turning on the car with a soft vroom. After looking around him for pedestrians in the way, Harry pushed the lever and with a long sigh of fear, started driving the car.  
  
The car went smoothly out of the parking lot and into the roads, where he drove carefully for others in the way. He felt in control, and he loved that feeling. No wonder so many guys love driving, he thought to himself.   
  
He remembered the time Ron and him drove to Hogwarts in a flying car, and how dramatic and exciting it was. Even so, it wasn't the same as this. First of all, Ron was driving that time, and being on the ground was a whole different experience.   
  
Often times, Mr. Drivedale wrote on his clipboard or made little checks, which gave Harry lumps in his throat. He was doing perfectly fine, but that clipboard made him anxious. He drove down all the required roads perfectly, and finally made a turn into the parking lot. The test is almost over, he thought to himself.  
  
"Harry, there's a vacant spot right in front of us, and I'd like you to park there," instructed Mr. Drivedale.  
  
Giving him a nod, Harry slowly drove into the spot and parked. Once parked, he sighed in relief. He had parked perfectly and safely.  
  
"Wonderful," said Mr. Drivedale. "Here comes the hardest part. I want you to parallel park over there."  
  
Mr. Drivedale pointed over to a line of pylons placed horizontally on the side of the parking lot, with a large gap in between two pylons. Harry was a bit tense at what he'd have to do next. Would he be able to do it? He was having a bit of a hard time doing parallel parking, and there were so many rumours of it being so hard.   
  
Harry, quite nervous, pulled down the parking lever, and drove back into the end pylon, and settled into the spot safely. He bit his lip in worrying if he knocked over a pylon. Mr. Drivedale got out of the car to examine how he parallel parked. After a thorough examination, he went back into the car.  
  
"You parallel parked perfectly," stated Mr. Drivedale, marking his clipboard. "You can drive to the curve now. You're test his done."  
  
Harry's heart leaped in excitement as he pulled the lever and got out of his parallel parking. He drove near the curve and stopped the car. He turned off the car as Mr. Drivedale handed him his driver's test:  
  
Driver's Test Score Sheet:  
  
Little Whinging's Community Center Driving School  
  
Name: Harry Potter  
  
Date: August 10th, 1996  
  
Driving instructor: Mr. Joe Drivedale  
  
Place: Little Whinging, Surrey  
  
Examinations:  
  
Signals: check  
  
Speed: check  
  
Driving: check  
  
Turns: check  
  
U-Turn: check  
  
Stopping: check  
  
Parking: check  
  
Parallel-Parking: check  
  
Rules of the Road: check  
  
Average: Excellent  
  
Note: Mr. Harry Potter did a wonderful job of doing his driving test. The turns and u-turns could be a bit more sharp, but that's it. Harry Potter is given permission to get his driver's license.  
  
"You're an excellent driver," said Mr. Drivedale. "The only thing is that your turns and U-turns are a bit soft, although that might be because of the cast."  
  
"Thank you!" said Harry.  
  
Harry was so glad all of this was over. All he had to do now was get his actual license. Harry got out of the car and went to Dave and showed him his test.  
  
"Dave, look!" said Harry, showing Dave his test. "I did great!"  
  
"Congrats!" said Dave.  
  
Just a few minutes later, Uncle Vernon drove into the parking lot to pick up Harry and Dudley. Harry was really sad that he had to leave his new friend.  
  
"Goodbye, Harry," said Dave, looking quite sad.   
  
"Bye," said Harry. "Do you think I could send you an owl? We could keep in touch when you're in Australia."  
  
"I don't think so," sighed Dave. "My owl can't go that far. I guess this really is goodbye. I'll miss you."  
  
"I'll miss you too, Dave," sighed Harry.  
  
He couldn't believe it. He made a friend over the summer, and now he was going away where he'd never see him again. Harry wished there was another way to solve this, but there wasn't. Harry knew Hedwig couldn't fly all the way to Australia, and he was really depressed about it. He didn't want to end their friendship.  
  
After a few more final goodbyes, Harry and Dave patted each other on the back. Harry, still holding both tests, walked with Dudley to Uncle Vernon who was getting out of the car.  
  
"So, how did you both do?" asked Uncle Vernon excitedly.  
  
"I did great," sighed Harry, still sad he'd never see Dave again.  
  
"I passed," said Dudley, with a fake expression on his face.  
  
Uncle Vernon looked suspiciously at Dudley. He didn't quite believe him.  
  
"Give me your tests," said Uncle Vernon, his hand open.  
  
Dudley, with a pained expression on his face, handed over both driving tests. Uncle Vernon ripped them away from him and once he looked at both exams, his eyes bulged in fury.  
  
"You really think you're going to get a car?" shouted Uncle Vernon as he waved the two tests around. "You barely passed!"  
  
"But Dad-"  
  
"NO BUTS! Both of you, get in the car!"  
  
Harry and Dudley (furious he wouldn't be getting a car) went into the car as Uncle Vernon turned it on and drove to the place where they would get their licenses. Unlike the community center, it was a new building that was modernly and simply decorated inside, with white walls, carpets and black desks. Harry and Dudley showed their tests to one of the ladies at the desks (she was very young, and strangely had the exact same voice as the cool female voice from the Ministry of Magic) and brought them over to a computer where she filled in the information necessary  
  
Once both of them got blinding photographs of themselves, they both received their licenses, and a couple of information sheets. Harry couldn't stop looking at his license. It had an awful picture of him, as most licenses had, with his hair messed up and his glasses drooping onto his nose. As Uncle Vernon drove off home as a sky full of clouds slowly moved above the car and scenery whipped passed them, Harry felt proud of himself that this day had come.   
  
To think, thought Harry, looking at the birds fly by, I can be just as free when I'm on the open road.....  
  
  
  
*****  
  
A week later, Harry was all packed up and ready to go to Remus' house. He had sent a letter telling Remus that he was allowed to visit him, and he felt extremely thrilled at every thought of seeing him. Harry had gotten a letter back from Remus saying that he would pick him up at around noon.   
  
The Dursley family was having mixed feelings about everything. Aunt Petunia was worried, yet Uncle Vernon and Dudley were too happy for words. Harry had even heard Uncle Vernon singing a tune in the shower about it.  
  
"Harry won't be here for the rest of the year," Uncle Vernon had sung horribly in the shower, loud enough for even Harry to hear from his room. "Harry won't be here for the rest of the year.... Harry won't be here for the rest of year... and I'll finally wake up not hearing that bloody owl!"  
  
He was shaking with excitement the morning Remus would come to pick him up.   
  
At noon, they all waited for Remus. Remus never told Harry how he would get there. They prepared the fireplace, remembering the time the Weasleys picked up Harry. The Dursley family ate lunch, but Harry didn't. He was too excited to eat. Right after they were putting the plates and glasses away, Dudley shouted for them to look at the window.  
  
"Mum! Dad! You've got to see this beautiful car!" he shouted.  
  
They all looked out the window at a magnificent silver Thunderbird with white leather interior. They fell in love with it immediately, their eyes glued to its features, its silver body shimmering in the afternoon sun. To their amazement, the beautiful car parked right in front of the house. A clean-shaven man with graying hair honked the horn.  
  
"Harry, hop in!" he shouted.   
  
It was Remus. Harry almost couldn't recognize. He usually looked a bit more scruffy, with very old patched clothes and such. Harry limped out the door hurriedly, not being able to wait to get into the car with Remus. Remus hopped out the convertible in one leap and leaned on the car. Harry would have hugged him, but he would have felt strange that he would be hugging an ex-professor.  
  
"I'm so glad you're here!" said Harry, smiling uncontrollably.   
  
"I'm glad to see you too, Harry!" said Remus.  
  
Remus opened the trunk and Harry put all his luggage in, except for Hedwig (who he put in the back seat). The Dursley family walked slowly to the car, looking at it with amazement. The door was left wide open, though they didn't care to look back, for they couldn't stare at anything else but the Thunderbird.   
  
"Well hello!" greeted Remus. "You must be the Dursley family. Pleased to meet you."  
  
Remus pulled out his hand and shook hands with all of them. They all stood with their jaws dropped and eyebrows raised.  
  
"D-d-does y-your k-k-kind get paid v-v-very m-much?" stuttered Uncle Vernon with excitement.  
  
"Well, I'm not sure about other wizards and witches, but I do get paid very well. Chief Aurors like me have a very large wage. If you didn't know what an Auror is, it's a kind of police officer that catches extremely dangerous criminals in the wizarding world,"  
  
he said.  
  
They all nodded, even if they weren't really paying attention to anything Remus would be saying. He said goodbye as all of them waved back. He drove off, while the Dursleys looked at them and the car in amazement as they drove away.  
  
"Do you want the radio on, Harry?" he asked.  
  
"All right," he responded.  
  
He turned on the switch to the radio, which let a Muggle tune flow out of the speakers with boy band vocals ringing in their ears. It was a British boy band playing an annoying love ballad. Remus had a disgusted expression on his face just hearing the irritating tune.  
  
"Yuck! This is awful Muggle music!" said Remus. "I'm getting the radio fixed. I bought it from a Muggle car store. I have to buy a wizard radio when we go to Diagon Alley. But don't worry, this will do the trick."  
  
He took out is wand and waved it around near the radio.  
  
"Radius wizardry," he said. Suddenly, the radio was playing the Weird Sisters, a wizard band that played at the Yule Ball during Harry's 4th year. Remus was bobbing his head and singing to the song. Harry started to gently laugh, the sight was hysterical.  
  
"So, Harry, I heard you had a broken ankle. Tell me about it."  
  
"I was walking Dudley's new dog Champion, it's a pug. He received it on his birthday from Aunt Marge, you know, the one I blew up?"  
  
"I think I might have heard something about that from the Ministry, although I'm not too sure if you told me your side of the story.... but go on."  
  
"Well, Dudley told me to walk the dog so I put it on its leash and we walked around the block. Champion got loose and by the time I caught him, Dudley's friends Fred, Ned and Ed chased me until I ran into a dead end and they started beating me up. I got angry and accidentally a car headed straight for them. We were near a parking lot, you see. Then the car was heading towards me so I ran as fast as I could into the forest. The car lost track of me but then I walked backwards into a ditch, which is how I broke my ankle. Champion found me but didn't help me at all. I got up with the help of a long stick and walked back to the Dursleys."  
  
"Yikes! I feel sorry for you."  
  
"The day after that, I went to the doctor's and got this cast on. That day, Mr. Weasley and some other wizards came to erase the Dursleys of their memory; Fred, Ned and Ed told them about the car. They fixed everything."  
  
"I heard Mr. Weasley got a raise. Good for him!"  
  
"He also got another raise for helping out with the incident."  
  
"I think we should fix that broken ankle of yours."  
  
Remus took out his wand again, waved it and said, 'Footus healo' and suddenly the foot wasn't broken anymore. The pain immediately vanished from his ankle, and Harry could actually feel the bone in his ankle mend itself. Harry took off the cast, which slipped off easily.  
  
"You know, next year you won't be an under-aged wizard anymore. You'll be able to do spells."  
  
"Yeah, I heard about that."  
  
"You know... maybe next summer you can practice some magic. We can even make some potions together!"  
  
"That would be so neat, although whenever I do a potion, I always think of my awful Potions teacher, Professor Snape. You know him, of course."  
  
"I remember your father, Sirius, Peter and I used to really hate him too. As much as you hate Draco Malfoy, in fact! You know what really got Sirius angry? It's when he called him 'Black'. It made him feel weird that he was addressed as a colour. He kept on saying to us, 'How would you feel if you were called Green, Orange or Yellow'?"  
  
Harry felt uncomfortable at what Remus said. It was the first time he had mentioned Sirius, and Harry couldn't hear the name 'Sirius' without feeling horrible. Remus saw the dismal look on Harry's face.  
  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up so early," said Remus. "We're all hurting."  
  
"You won't believe how much I'm hurting," sighed Harry.  
  
"Listen, the reason I wanted you to visit was so we could get to know each other a bit better, and to become friends. I know the Dursleys are treating you a lot better, but I don't think they're giving you the treatment like a mentor would."  
  
"A mentor?"  
  
"Yeah, a mentor! I could maybe be your mentor. It would be like I'm a friendly uncle of yours, or... or even a godfather or father figure."  
  
Harry listened sharply at the last few words Remus said, and couldn't believe he had said them. Remus would never be his godfather or father, only Sirius and his father were. How could Remus do this to him? Harry became furious, his mood switched in a flash.   
  
"Are you trying to replace Sirius and my father?" questioned Harry angrily at Remus.  
  
"No, of course not! I just-"  
  
"You are, aren't you? I can't believe you! You're trying to get me over to your house so you can be a replacement godfather? I only have one godfather and one father, and that will always be Sirius and my dad! I thought you knew that!"  
  
"I do know that, Harry!"  
  
"OBVIOUSLY, YOU DON'T!" shouted Harry. "Bring me back home. I don't want to go to London with you."  
  
"Harry, please!"  
  
"You're trying to replace Sirius and my dad!"  
  
"Harry, please listen to me!" pleaded Remus. "I'm never going to replace Sirius or James, and you know that! What I meant to say was that I could look after you and be like a friend, almost like a godfather or father figure. I could be someone you could go to when you're having problems or something."  
  
"Well the problem I'm having now is that you think you understand how I feel about the death of Sirius, but you don't!"  
  
"Harry, you're completely forgetting that Sirius and James were my best friends!" scolded Remus. "Once I became a werewolf, everyone treated me differently, even my own parents! You will not believe how happy I was when I finally made friends like Sirius, James and Peter. They even went to the Shrieking Shack with me and became Animagi!  
  
"I was so crushed when James died, and horrified when Peter went to serve Lord Voldemort. The only friend I had was Sirius, but of course, he was falsely accused and sent to Azkaban, so I had no friends! The truth is, I was so glad Sirius escaped from Azkaban. But now that he's dead, I've come back to having no friends.   
  
"You might have lost your parents and your godfather, Harry, but you still have Hermione and Ron, who are wonderful friends. My family lives far away from me and are completely frightened whenever I walk into the room, and now my true friends are gone. You might think the Aurors and the members of the Order of the Phoenix are my friends, but they can't replace James or Sirius, or even Peter. My Grandma was the only one from my family who still loved me like a real family member, but now she's gone too."  
  
Harry never realized that Remus had lost all his best friends, and his family was so scared of him because he was a werewolf. Last year, Harry had thought that he was so tortured and no one understood him, but now he realized that Remus had suffered too. Even though Harry had lost very many people, he still had Ron and Hermione. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost them both.  
  
"Sorry," apologized Harry. "It's just that you seem so calm about all of this. When Sirius died, it was as if you didn't really care."  
  
"Believe me, I cared," said Remus. "It was just hard for it to sink in. I still don't think it has really sunken in yet. I still keep on thinking that he's still at Grimmauld's  
  
Place bullying around Kreacher."  
  
"The truth is, I'm really glad that you're my mentor," admitted Harry. "You're the only one left who really knew my father. I really want you to be my mentor, whatever it means."  
  
"I'm glad to hear that, but you have to stop having these tantrums. Sometimes you get out of hand with your anger."  
  
"It's because no one understands me!" said Harry angrily. "No one knows how it's like to suffer the way I do. You don't know what I've had to put up with and survive!"  
  
"Harry, no one's ever going to really understand you," said Remus. "You've done so many great things and have seen such horrible things that no one can compare. We all try to understand you, but not even your friends or I can help you when it comes to perfectly understanding you."  
  
"That doesn't give anyone the right to keep me clueless about everything and treat me so strangely! The Ministry didn't even tell me that there would be a war in Sicily. Of all the people, I should know!"  
  
"Harry, just because Voldemort tried to kill you once and is always after you because he's mad at you for what happened, doesn't mean you should have exclusive updates on everything."  
  
"You think he's after me because he's mad at what happened when I was a baby?" questioned Harry. He doesn't know about the Prophecy, thought Harry. Harry felt that he had to tell Remus, he didn't want him thinking Harry was a raging maniac for no particular reason. "Remus, did you ever hear of a Prophecy made about Voldemort?"  
  
"What? What Prophecy?" asked Remus, looking concerned.  
  
"Do you remember Professor Trelawney?"  
  
"Her, that fake Seer?"  
  
"Yeah, her. Well in Hogs Head before I was born, she told Dumbledore of a Prophecy, about You-Know-Who. She said that when the seventh month ended, there would be a child born that could defeat him. He would have a secret power that Voldemort didn't know of, and that the child would be marked as his equal. At the end, one would be killed by the other. Remus, that child is me."  
  
Remus literally jumped in his seat, and on the way to the highway, parked on the side of the road. He looked stunned, and was even gasping, and turned to Harry.   
  
"A-are you serious?" questioned Remus.  
  
"I'm serious, and that means that Voldemort isn't just mad at me. He knows I'm that child, Remus. One of his associates overheard their conversation and reported it to him. They didn't hear all of it though, and they didn't hear that he'd mark me as his equal."  
  
"Wait a minute. Does that mean y-y-your scar-"  
  
"Exactly. My scar is the mark that I'm he's equal."  
  
"I-I just, I can't believe it," sighed Remus, sitting back in his seat, wide-eyed. "I never knew. Harry, I'm tremendously sorry. I never knew-"  
  
"No one knows, except Professor Trelawney, Dumbledore, Voldemort and I. Other than that, no one else really knows about it, which lets them misjudge me and all. Remus, in the end, I'll have to be a murderer or a victim. I don't want to kill anyone, Remus, nor do I want to be killed. I'm obviously going to have that burden hovering over me my whole entire life. Did you hear me? I have to kill or be killed!"  
  
"Harry, you'll never be a murderer," said Remus as he patted him on the back. "You'll be more of a....a warrior. I just can't believe the pressure you're under. The weight on your back.... Harry, I'd really love to be your mentor. Maybe, I could help you sort all this out-"  
  
"Remus, I really appreciate it. When I had Sirius around, it was like having a father all over again. Actually, I don't even know how it's like to have a father, so it was a great experience for me. The truth is, I want to have a father figure, I just don't want to forget about Sirius. You understand, right?"  
  
"Of course I understand. I think though, that you need to calm down on your anger. Dumbledore told me about your..... your temper-tantrum in his office."  
  
"Is that what he calls it? Remus, I was going through so much stress and anger that I couldn't help myself! No one understands the anger I have, and everyone thinks I'm an angry maniac. I'm not! They treat me like a stuck-up child! I'm 16 years old now! I want to be treated more like an adult!"  
  
"If you want to be treated like an adult, than act like one! Harry, not even adults have fits like you. No matter how angry you get, you have to bottle it up until you're alone. Afterwards, you can relieve your stress by punching a pillow or something."  
  
"Don't talk to me about anger management!" shouted Harry. "No one understands the actual anger and sadness I'm going through!"  
  
"Harry, I already told you that; no one ever will understand you completely. That's why you have to calm down and keep your anger to yourself. Showing your anger will just give people more barbaric thoughts about you. Did you know there are even people who are scared of people like you? I wouldn't suggest ruining any relationships with others over an angry fit. Harry, you're becoming an adult, act like one!  
  
"Well, the truth is, it really isn't your fault about your mood swings."  
  
"They're not mood swings!" barked Harry.  
  
"Whatever you're feeling, it's because of puberty. You're going to go through a lot of emotional ups and downs. I should have expected this, actually. I was like this too, and so was Sirius and James, at 16 years old. Just... you just have to try and control it... just try..."  
  
Harry turned around and thought about the things that he had just been told. He did need to act like an adult, but how could he keep his anger bottled up like that? Last year, Ron and Hermione did seem a bit shocked at how he was shouting at them about not telling him about anything, and the truth is, Remus was completely right. He was sixteen now, and he needed to act like an adult, puberty or not.   
  
"Fine," sighed Harry. "It'll be hard, but I'll try. You're absolutely right, I need to calm down my anger. But, it's just so hard!"  
  
"I know, Harry. Just hearing what you're going to have to deal with, you'll be under so much anger you'll feel like you won't be able to control it. You'll get used to not releasing so much anger eventually, but it will be hard. You are going to experience a lot of emotions. Just try your best at handling them."  
  
"I really don't want to scare others or ruin any relationships."  
  
"No one does," said Remus. He quickly looked at his watch. "We should be on our way."  
  
Remus quickly pushed down the lever of the car, turned it on and drove off into the road. Harry could tell Remus was breathing in deeply. Should he have told Remus about the Prophecy? Harry leaned his shoulder onto the edge of the car and let his messy hair flow in the ripping wind. Remembering the feeling he had when he got his license, he suddenly realized something: how did Remus know how to drive a car?  
  
"Remus, how'd you know how to drive a car?" asked Harry curiously. "You're a full-grown wizard."  
  
"I decided to get a car," said Remus, glaring back at Harry, sounding a bit more kinder from the scolding and lecturing he had just done. "I drove in one once, and I loved the feel of being in one, especially convertibles. I've always wanted a Muggle convertible, but I never had the money. After getting my grandmother's fortune and my promotion, I decided to get a license and buy a convertible. You're of age to drive, aren't you? Did you get your license yet?"  
  
"Yeah, I just got it a week ago."  
  
"Harry, that's wonderful! Since you have your license, I'll let you drive the Thunderbird a few times at your stay."  
  
"You mean it? I can drive your Thunderbird?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
Harry wanted to dance with excitement. He was going to drive a Ford Thunderbird! How many teenagers his age would get a chance to drive one? He could just imagine being behind that wheel.  
  
"Since we're getting into a more vivid conversation, do you have a crush on any girls?"  
  
Harry was shocked at this, and quite uncomfortable. It had come up so quickly, and it was such a personal question. He turned red in the face, shy to answer his question. He didn't know what to say at all. He felt a little too embarrassed to say that he liked Cho Chang, even after they broke up.  
  
"Well...er...uhm...no..." he said in a shy voice.  
  
"Well, I used to have a crush on this girl when I was about your age. I was madly in love with this girl named Naomi Crint. She had beautiful blue eyes and gorgeous long blonde hair. She worked in the Ministry after Hogwarts. I dated her for about 2 years but we broke up. She didn't like the idea of me being a werewolf. It was always a problem, but it became a bigger problem with time. We broke up, and shortly after she became a victim of Lord Voldemort. So sad..."  
  
"She was killed by Lord Voldemort?"  
  
"Oh yes, and many others from Hogwarts were. I was extremely sad, I grieved so much. I was, so, so sad...."  
  
"So, are you still single?  
  
"Yes, I'm afraid so. I just couldn't make myself date again after what happened to Naomi."  
  
"Do you think you'll ever date again?"  
  
"Maybe. By the way, there's a family that lives next door to me. They're Korean. You'll probably like their daughter. She's a bit of a cutie herself."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Oh yeah!"  
  
Harry smiled. It was until supper time when they got to London. Remus had a very big Victorian-style house that was white with gray panels and tiles. The house looked so comfortable and welcoming. It was three times the size of the Dursleys' house. Next to Remus' house was a long brick bungalow.  
  
"Harry, welcome to my home! That house over there belongs to the Korean family. I'll let you meet them."  
  
They walked over to the house and pushed the doorbell. Harry shoved his hands into his pockets, nervous to meet the neighbors. The family quickly came to the door, and Harry was shocked to see who it was.  
  
"Harry, I'd like you to meet the Chang family, and this is their daughter, Cho."  
  
Harry felt butterflies in his stomach. Cho gave him a big smile.  
  
"Hi Harry!" she said.  
  
"H- h- hello, Cho," he said in a very shy voice.  
  
"Why, it's the famous Harry Potter! Wouldn't you like to come in?" asked the father.  
  
"Of course," said Remus.  
  
They walked into their lovely home, which was very Oriental. They stayed there for dinner, and had rice and other Korean delicacies at the meal.   
  
As Remus and Cho's parents talked right after finishing their dinner, Cho tapped Harry on the shoulder. Harry quickly turned around, though he could feel his cheeks becoming warm.  
  
"Harry, could I speak to you in private?" asked Cho nicely.  
  
"I- uh- Sure..." responded Harry.  
  
"Follow me."  
  
Cho led Harry by the hand into a hallway where their parents, nor Remus could see them. Harry wondered curiously what Cho wanted to tell him. Cho let out a long sigh and spoke.  
  
"Harry, I wanted to speak about our previous dates," said Cho.  
  
She might take me back! thought Harry happily.  
  
"Yeah, we can talk about that," said Harry.  
  
"Well, I thought about our break-up and everything and I realized how silly I was being a bit silly. I apologize."  
  
Wow, she's apologizing, thought Harry, as he listened closely to her.  
  
"I forgive you, but it was partly my fault too," said Harry.  
  
"Wow Harry, I'm so glad you understand. But I brought you here to tell you... that... uhm... if you want to go on another date, just ask."  
  
She smiled and walked back into the living room where the Changs and Remus were talking. Harry smiled to himself that his crush over the summer didn't seem so ridiculous after all. Harry quickly got out of the hallway and went back to his seat in the living room.  
  
After 8 o'clock in the evening, Harry went to Remus' house. It was decorated very nicely, with a modern style. The foyer was a nice tan colour with black marble table and oval mirror, with a cupboard for coats, and a brown mat. There was an earth-toned marble floor. Harry thought it quite lovely. As he entered the house, he saw a lot more examples of modern decor, with black leather couches and glass tables in the living room and a lovely fireplace with white border. Although here and there, he could see antiques and grandma-like items.   
  
"I redecorated it a bit," said Remus, as he showed him the house. "My grandmother was very sweet, but she didn't have great taste in house decor."  
  
Remus gave him a complete tour of the household. The tour stopped at his room   
  
which was painted blue, with green carpeting, a desk, cabinets, a large mirror and a shelf. There was also a Queen-sized bed. Harry fell in love with it.  
  
"Would you like me to help you unpack, Harry?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
They started unpacking, as they talked about their first years at Hogwarts, Remus' times with his father and godfather, about Hogwarts and many other things.  
  
"Harry?" asked Remus, looking up from a luggage he was unpacking into a few of the drawers.  
  
"Yes?" answered Harry, slipping some of the emptied suit cases under his bed.  
  
"Why don't you tell me about that crush you have on Cho Chang?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Harry, I could see it in your eyes. You weren't telling the truth before. Don't worry, it's okay."  
  
"Yeah, I guess. It's was kind of uncomfortable to tell you. You see, I already dated her before and it didn't work out, and...."  
  
"Yeah, I completely understand," said Remus with a wink. "Well, I guess we're all unpacked. Could you hold on for a second?"  
  
"Sure," said Harry, as Remus sped off into another room, and came back with a mirror, the second mirror that Sirius kept when he gave the other one to Harry, and a large wooden box.  
  
"I thought you should have them," sighed Remus, handing it to Harry.   
  
At the look of the mirror, Harry's eyes began to water and his lip trembled. He wanted his godfather back so much. He didn't know what the box was for though.  
  
"Thanks," he said, wiping away a few of the tears that dropped onto his cheeks.  
  
"I thought you needed it. Grimmauld Place now belongs to the Order of the Phoenix."  
  
"Did he have a will?" asked Harry.  
  
"No, he didn't. Of course, you can have anything you want from there. If anyone should deserve to inherit his things, it would be you, Harry."  
  
"I could never take anything from there. It would hurt too much. What's the box for?"  
  
"It's to put all your things of Sirius in, you know, the mirrors, letters, that knife to open doors, and even that album of your parents. You could put them all in there."  
  
"Thanks, I really appreciate it."  
  
"Your welcome. Harry, are you all right?"  
  
Harry was starting to cry a lot more, as he clutched his new belongings tightly to him.  
  
"It's just- His death could have been prevented. If only I used those mirrors, he might be alive to this day. It's all my fault!"  
  
"Oh Harry, of course it isn't!" said Remus. Finally getting up the courage, Remus gave Harry a hug. Harry felt a bit strange getting a hug from Remus, but it made him feel a bit better.  
  
"Thanks for that," said Harry. "I needed it. But if it wasn't for-"  
  
"Harry, the only one we can blame are Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters, especially Bellatrix Lestrange. It isn't your fault."  
  
"Yes it is!"  
  
"You tried to do the right thing. You would have never known what would happen. The truth is, I don't exactly know your side of the story, but I would like to know. You can tell me in the morning, all right?"  
  
"All right. It's so unfair! He never even got a funeral! I never got to say goodbye!"  
  
"I'm sad too, Harry, but we have to be strong. I think you should get some rest now. Good night."  
  
"Good night."  
  
As Remus left the room, Harry laid the mirrors into the box and slipped it under his bed. He put on his pajamas, crept under the covers and slept. He was so glad that he now had Remus as a father figure, but he just couldn't stop thinking about Sirius. Maybe it really wasn't my fault he died, thought Harry to himself, but he still felt like he had something to do with it. His life would never be the same without Sirius.  
  
Author's Note: OK, that's up for the 3rd chapter. The next chapter is called "Friends and Fun in Diagon Alley". Basically what the title is: Harry goes to Diagon Alley and meets up with his friends. Though Harry will get huge news that will change the course of his whole entire year, and maybe life! So PPPPPLLLLLLEEEEAAAASSSEEE REVIEW!!!! I appreciate EVERY SINGLE review I get (well, maybe not flames). 


	4. Friends and Fun in Diagon Alley

Harry Potter and the Princesses for Magic  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter because JK Rowling does.   
  
Author's Note: Hey readers! I know the beginning of the chapter was a bit screwed up, but you see, I've never had a driving test, so I wouldn't know how it's like. And I also don't live in England, so I wouldn't know the age to get your license is 17. I'm from Canada by the way (EH!). Well, we don't say 'eh' all the time, but it's sure fun to say!  
  
I hope all of you read and review this chapter, and I hope you like it. Please review! I'm desperate for reviews! Anyway, this chapter's about Harry going to Diagon Alley with Remus and having fun with his friends, but it's not just a normal day to Diagon Alley: Harry will find out something that will change his whole entire year, and maybe life!!!! Read to find out!  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Friends and Fun  
  
in Diagon Alley  
  
The end of the vacation passed quickly and merrily. Harry and Remus had fun talks, water fights, and went out exploring London. To Harry, one of the best parts of those two weeks were getting to drive the Thunderbird. How wonderful it felt.... the wind blowing in his hair... with all worries behind him......  
  
They even went to Buckingham Palace, and they did what no person had ever done before: make the Queen's guard laugh. Remus had put a Giggling Charm on the guard on duty. Harry asked about the "Royals" in Italy, but Remus said he couldn't tell him. With Remus around, Harry quickly forgot his awful past and the fact that he had no parents, although the memory of Sirius was always fresh in his mind. Even so, it felt like he had a godfather once again.   
  
Harry had received a letter back from Hogwarts stating that he was accepted for his NEWT classes, which included his school supplies for his courses. Remus was tremendously proud of him, as if Harry was his own son.  
  
"You did so great on your O.W.L.s," Remus had said proudly. "You're such a great kid, Harry!"  
  
Harry eventually explained to Remus what had happened the night he and the others went to the Ministry. Remus listened to every single word that came out of Harry's mouth, everything sounded so strange and adventurous to Remus. Although when he got to the part when he saw Sirius fall through the veil, Harry burst into tears. Remus tried to calm him down, and it took Harry a long time to keep on explaining the events that had happened.  
  
Despite the fact that his time spent with Remus was delightful, his life was yet again troubled by Lord Voldemort (or so he thought).   
  
It was two days before school had started. He and Remus were in the kitchen. Harry was eating his breakfast while Remus was putting his plates and tea cup in the sink. Suddenly, the phone rang.  
  
Ring. Ring.  
  
"I'll get it!" said Remus, as he rushed over to the cordless phone on the counter and picked it up. "Hello? Good morning, Frank!....No, I'm not busy. I just finished breakfast.... You want to discuss the Johnson file? Sure, I'll go get the portfolio, it's just on the living room table."  
  
Remus dashed into the living room and picked up his portfolio, going through all the pages of information. Harry was quite glad that Remus was an Auror, he was able to get to know his future choice of career because of it.  
  
As Remus was speaking to a fellow Auror from Headquarters, Harry quietly ate his breakfast. Harry was about to eat a big chunk of his sausage when a splitting head-ache struck him like a blow to the head. He dropped his fork and sausage and clutched his hand to his forehead, shutting his eyes tightly in pain. This time the burn in his scar was a lot worse than ever before.  
  
"What's happening?" he whispered to himself. With all his strength, he turned to the side to see if Remus was looking. Unfortunately, he was too busy talking on the phone.   
  
Suddenly more pain came to him, and it sizzled his brain like mad. A high-pitch shrill was ringing in his ears. He would have called Remus, but he was too preoccupied to call him. His head burned so badly that he couldn't concentrate on doing anything, even to scream or shout. Oh... why won't Remus come here and help me? he thought desperately to himself.  
  
His scar kept on burning for about 10 minutes. Tears streamed down his face from the pain. Its peak was at the very end, when it felt as if his head had been split open, a molten-burning throb in his head that was so awful he felt he might die. Just then, a severe pain slashed near his neck as if it was being sliced off. But in less than a minute, he became perfectly fine.  
  
He turned to check on Remus, who was still talking on the phone and flipping through pages and pages of information. Remus hadn't seen or noticed anything of what happened, since he was on the phone for about half an hour. Harry had no idea what had just happened, curious at how the pain just vanished immediately. He didn't dare tell Remus about it, not wanting to scare him. It's probably just something to do with the war, no biggee, he thought.   
  
A day before the summer holidays ended, Harry and Remus took the Hogwarts supplies list and went to the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
"Remus, what are we going to do about the Thunderbird?"  
  
"Well Harry, I just bought a new gadget a few days ago. It's called a belonging carrier box."  
  
Remus pulled out a little metal box with buttons and a screen. Harry became quite fascinated with it.  
  
"This here can carry any-sized object," explained Remus, holding up the little metal box. "If you press the big red button in the middle while pointing at something, that thing will be zapped into this little box. I'll try it with the car."  
  
Remus pressed on the button pointing to the car and amazingly the car was beamed up into the silver box. Luckily, no one saw.   
  
"Who invented it?" asked Harry.  
  
"Well, it was... Maybe I shouldn't tell you," said Remus. "Let's just say the person who's fighting the war invented this."  
  
"Wow, that's so cool! But why can't you tell me who it is?"  
  
"It's Ministry business, Harry," told Remus. "And... a bit of Hogwarts business."  
  
"Come on, tell me! Tell me who it is!"  
  
"It's not really 'who it is', Harry. It's actually 'who they are'."  
  
"They're more than one?"  
  
"Well, yeah."  
  
"I don't get it, why don't you tell me? Is it that top-secret?"  
  
"It's nothing dangerous, we just want to keep it low-key. If it gets out, the press will be all over them and us."  
  
"You think I'm going to tell? I won't!"   
  
"I don't want to take any chances."  
  
"You're so unfair!"  
  
"Harry, remember what we said in the car?"  
  
"Fine, be that way," muttered Harry.  
  
"Let's just go into the Leaky Cauldron."  
  
Remus put the belonging carrier box in his pocket and headed into the dark, dingy pub with Harry. They said hello to Tom the landlord, and the wizards and witches there. Once at the entrance to Diagon Alley, a brick wall creating a dead end, Remus took out his wand and tapped the wall in the special way. Magically, the bricks in the wall started to move aside to create an entrance into Diagon Alley. Once all the bricks had moved, they went in.  
  
It was a very busy street that day, with magic folk young and old scurrying into every shop and others walking out with purchases in bags. The street was filled with crooked wizard-like buildings on both sides, with side-walk displays and wonderful window displays, with the morning sun shining on everything. Harry could even smell aromas from the Apothecary and ice cream parlour. Harry adored Diagon Alley, its magic enchanted his soul.  
  
Through all the clutter of witches and wizards, they walked to Gringotts Bank.   
  
the wizard bank at the very end of the promenade, in an ivory-white building with mighty bronze doors. They went through the entrance and entered the wizard bank, passing the tiny gruesome goblins and going through the creepy hallway. They went to the third counter, with a goblin scribbling down things on a piece of parchment. On the counter was a name plate: Petrink. Remus cleared his throat for attention. Petrink the goblin noticed them and looked up.  
  
"May I help you two wizards?" he said in a rude voice.  
  
"Yes, Harry Potter and I, Remus Lupin, would like to make a withdrawal. Here are the keys," said Remus as he handed two small, golden keys.  
  
"Follow me please," grunted the tiny creature, as he hopped off his stool.  
  
Harry and Remus followed him closely until they got into a cart that would take them to their vaults. They hopped into it and with a giant jolt, zoomed onto the rail tracks. Harry suddenly remembered how bumpy the ride was, and so did his stomach. Remus didn't look good either. He looked almost as bad as Hagrid did before his first year of Hogwarts.   
  
When they were at Harry's vault, the cart made a big jerk and stopped. While Harry and Petrink hopped onto the platform in front of Harry's vault, Remus stumbled onto the platform uneasily.   
  
"I've barely come down here through the course of my life, considering I was quite poor before, and didn't have much in my vault," he said as he stood up straight. "Oh dear, I think I need to barf."  
  
"Stop fooling around and let's carry on," scolded Petrink with a sour expression.  
  
The goblin took out the key and unlocked the vault. Harry took out 45 Galleons for spending. Once he took his money, Remus beamed the money into his belonging carrier box and hopped back into the cart and went. Harry could tell Remus looked very dizzy.   
  
After 5 minutes, they got to Remus' vault. Remus was so dizzy that when they went onto the platform, he slammed right into the wall by accident. He finally got his balance and collected 50 Galleons, put them in his belonging carrier box and left.   
  
Once they got out of the tunnels, Remus rushed to the washroom to throw up. Harry waited for him, thinking that Remus was extremely weak. When Remus got out of the washrooms, they hurried to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions for some new robes for Harry, including a new dress robe. It was a long, blue dress robe with black and gold-coloured rims and silver buttons. The neck part was folded quite nicely, almost like a coat. It was quite handsome, he had to admit. It was even better than any of Draco's dress robes.   
  
Afterwards, they went to the Apothecary, Flourish and Blotts, Eeylops Owl Emporium for supplies for Hedwig and other shops. On the way, Remus bought a wizard radio for the car that he was meaning to get for a long time.  
  
"This'll give us a bit of freedom from those horrible Muggle boy band songs," said Remus to Harry.  
  
After buying all the supplies Harry needed for Hogwarts, they decided to walk around just for fun. They stopped at an enormous building that Harry had never seen before. It was a purple and orange shop that was quite large, so large that it filled up one whole entire corner of Diagon Alley. He looked up to see a huge sign in purple letters that were shaped in candy, which spelled out: Sweetsland.  
  
"I've heard of this place!" said Harry. "Ron told me about this store. It's new, and it's supposed to be the biggest candy store in England."  
  
"Speaking of Ron, there he is with his family," pointed out Remus.  
  
Harry turned around. There he saw Ron waving his hand and running towards him, following Ginny who was running after him as well. Harry recognized that Ron had grown a few more inches, making him even taller than before, and even Ginny was becoming a pretty young lady.  
  
"Harry! Finally, we've found you!" said Ron as he finally caught up to Harry.  
  
"We've been looking all over for you, Harry!" said Ginny, panting a bit. "Hello, Lupin!"   
  
"Hello, Ron and Ginny!" greeted Remus. "But don't worry, you can call me Remus now."  
  
"Wow, Harry!" said Ron. "I can't believe you're going to be hanging out with Remus now."  
  
"Yeah, I know. It's incredible, isn't it?"  
  
"It is! It's pretty good, considering.... well, you know... he's gone...."  
  
"I know, Ron," sighed Harry. "So, are you looking forward to another Prefect year?"  
  
"It's okay, really. I'm starting to get used to it."  
  
"I'm a school Prefect too!" said Ginny. "And so is Luna."  
  
"That's great," said Harry, though he was surprised 'Loony' Luna Lovegood was a Prefect.   
  
"You should have seen the look on Mum's face," said Ron. "She was prancing about, saying how wonderful of a family we have. She made a huge cake for Ginny."  
  
"We still haven't finished eating it!" added Ginny.  
  
"Wait a minute," said Harry. "Do you want to see something cool?"  
  
"Sure!" chimed Ginny and Ron.  
  
Just as Harry was about to turn to Remus for his belonging carrier box, Hermione ran up to them. She, too, was becoming a pretty young lady.  
  
"Hello, Harry! Hi, Ron! Hey, Ginny!" said Hermione who had just budded in. Harry seemed very surprised of how tanned she looked.  
  
"Whoa, Hermione!" exclaimed Ron, his eyes gaping at Hermione. "What happened to you over the summer?"  
  
"What are you talking about?" asked Hermione curiously.  
  
"First of all, you're as red as a beet, and second, you're..-"  
  
"You're starting to look very....womanly," said Harry.  
  
"Yeah...what he said...you're starting to look... womanly... you know.... you're getting.... developed... and you have.... stuff...."  
  
"Ron!" scolded Ginny, hitting him over the head.  
  
"Ow!" he said, rubbing his hand on his head. "What was that for?"  
  
"For being so rude! That was disturbing."  
  
"Well sorry."  
  
"Thanks for that nice leather robe for my birthday," thanked Harry.  
  
"Your welcome. Oh, hello Professor Lupin!"  
  
"Hello, Hermione! You don't have to call me Professor Lupin anymore, you can call me Remus."  
  
"Oh all right. Boy, was Italy ever amazing! Do you like my tan?"  
  
"It's really cool!" said Ginny.  
  
"It's...it' s...well...er...It looks different!" said Harry, not wanting to say that he thought that she overdid her tan a bit.  
  
"He means you look like a tomato!" remarked Ron.  
  
"Shut up!" said Hermione, angrily.  
  
"Yeah, Ron, shut up!" scolded Ginny as she hit him over the head, once again.  
  
"Ow! Why'd you hit me again?"  
  
"For being rude!"  
  
"What was that cool thing you wanted to show Ron and Ginny?" asked Hermione.  
  
"I'll show it now. Remus, can you show them the belonging carrier box?"  
  
"Of course, Harry."  
  
Remus pulled out the small metal box, pushed several small buttons and then pushed the big red button. Amazingly, the Thunderbird appeared out of the box.  
  
"Wicked!" said Ron in awe. "Dad, come over here!"  
  
Ron's father walked over to them quickly, and immediately spotted the convertible. He had a big smile once he saw the car, he loved Muggle cars.  
  
"Hello, Remus!" greeted Mr. Weasley nicely. "It's good to see you again! By the way, congratulations on that promotion!"  
  
"Why thank you, Mr. Weasley! Congratulations on that raise!"  
  
"Thank you. Wow, that's a magnificent car!"  
  
"Yes, I've always wanted a Muggle car like this. Spectacular, isn't it? There's a car shop near my house and since this car was on sale, I went ahead and bought it. My co-worker is going to put some wizard features on it."  
  
"That's great!"  
  
"Well Dad, I guess we'll be in the sweets shop," said Ron, glaring excitedly at the huge sweets store.  
  
"Be careful, okay?" said Mr. Weasley.  
  
"Okay, Dad!"  
  
While Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione went in the big store, Remus was showing Arthur Weasley the belonging carrier box and his car. Once they went in, they were blown away.   
  
The interior of the shop was humungous, like a giant warehouse. It was brightly painted with every colour of the rainbow, and more! There were giant models of sweets hung up all over the walls. There were even manikin-like model sweets that came alive and gave free samples. It made them all seem as if they were little kids again.  
  
But of course, the most spectacular thing of all was the variety of candies. There were candies from all over the world. There were shelves of Chocolate Frogs, bottles of Butterbeer, Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans and more.   
  
All candies were separated into shelves by country. First, they went to the International and England shelves for their regular sweets. Next, they went to the shelves of China, which had jelly-centered chocolate chopsticks, cakes of the Great Wall of China and Fizzing Frogs 'n' Dunking Dragons (with a choice of peanut butter, jelly, cream, butterscotch, cheese whiz, chocolate and flavoured whipped cream to dunk). They went to the shelves of Italy and got Leaning Towers of Cream Pizazz (small cakes shaped like the Tower of Pisa with cream fillings inside), pumpkin crisps (which also came in potatoes, tomatoes, olives, squash, figs and corn) and Chocolate Frog Chip cookies. Last but not least, they went to the shelves of Canada which had Parliament cakes, beaver tales with peanut butter centers, Maple Leaf chocolates with syrup centers and strawberry-vanilla puddings with crumbs of Chocolate frogs which showed one of the games that the Quidditch team the Moose Jaw Meteorites played in the pudding.   
  
When they bought all of their candies, they went to the restaurant inside Sweetsland. They decided they wanted some ice cream and fish and chips. They went in line (which was a very big line-up) and when they finally got to the ordering booth, Harry ordered for them.  
  
"Good day, how may I take your order?" asked the fat lady at the counter.  
  
"I'll have 4 medium ice creams and 4 fish and chip combos," ordered Harry, glaring up at the menus on the walls.  
  
"What kind of ice cream would you like?" asked the chubby counter-lady.  
  
"Uhm... I'll have Rocky Road," said Harry.  
  
"I'll have strawberry shortcake," told Hermione.  
  
"I guess I'll take bubblegum ice cream," said Ginny.  
  
"Then I'll guess I'll have Chocolate Frog chip vanilla with strawberry swirls," said Ron.  
  
"That will be 6 Galleons," said the cashier lady after punching in a few buttons on the cashier.   
  
Harry put his hand in his pocket and pulled out 6 galleons. The lady looked at him closely in shock.  
  
"Wait a minute!" shouted the cashier lady. "I know you! You're Harry Potter!"  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"Jamie Lynne, come here!"  
  
"What is it, Jane?" asked Jamie Lynne.  
  
"It's Harry Potter!"  
  
"Bless my soul, it's him! Jane, why are you charging him? Don't worry, Harry! It's on the house!"  
  
Harry put back his Galleons into his pocket. The staff and some customers asked for his autograph. Ten minutes later, they finally got their food and found a table. Harry apologized for the commotion.  
  
"Sorry about that, guys," apologized Harry. "I didn't mean to delay our lunch. I didn't even think the lady would make a fuss over it."   
  
"Don't worry," said Ginny. "We know how famous you are. You can't help it."  
  
"Thanks a bunch for understanding!" thanked Harry. "The fame can be a real pain, you know. Well enough of that, let's eat!"  
  
They quickly started licking their ice cream. Ron told his father they would be eating lunch in Sweetsland. Right when they started eating their fish and chips, they heard a humming noise. That humming became cheering. Harry could see through the window crowds of people hugging and cheering.  
  
"Merlin's beard, can't anyone eat their lunch in peace?" questioned Ron angrily.  
  
"What's happening?" asked Ginny, looking out the window.  
  
"Everyone's hugging and cheering," remarked Harry. "Look, now everyone in Sweetsland is running out to see."  
  
It was true what Harry had said. All the people in Sweetsland rushed out and into the street. Harry was becoming extremely curious of what was outside.  
  
"We should go out and see," said Hermione.   
  
"Fine," grumbled Ron. "But if I found my fish and chips or any of my sweets gone, you're going to pay!"  
  
"Oh shut up!" scolded Hermione.  
  
All four of them left their lunches and hurried out of Sweetsland. They soon found out that there was a parade with cheering people, who were saying something that was muffled up because of the crying and cheering. Remus, Ron's father, mother and Hermione's family rushed up to them, crying with joy.  
  
"HARRY! HARRY! HE'S GONE! IT'S OVER! YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ANYMORE!" shouted Remus with pure happiness.  
  
"Who? What? How?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yeah, Dad. What's going on?" asked Ron.  
  
"You-Know-Who is gone! He's dead!" said Arthur Weasley.  
  
"Yes, Hermione," said her father. "He's gone! Wizards and witches don't have to fear anymore!"   
  
"Harry, he's gone!" exclaimed Hermione with tears in her eyes. "You don't have to worry about him going after you!"   
  
"The war is over!" said Ron's mother, hugging everyone. "He's dead! And so is Peter Pettigrew!"  
  
Harry felt like he would faint. He was a million times happier than when he found out that he was a wizard and that he'd be going to Hogwarts, yet in a way, something was keeping him from being completely happy.  
  
Lord Voldemort was gone, thought Harry, as the words repeated in his head a thousand times. So the Prophecy would end that way? Without him? Was he really the boy that the Prophecy said?   
  
Harry was quite glad all of this weight was released off his shoulders, but yet, he felt like something was missing. It was his duty to kill him, not those who were head of the war! He didn't know what his feelings were telling him, but he knew the news was making him think a lot.  
  
Harry glared at Remus and noticed his expression. Remus looked happy, yet he had an expression that he was hiding something, like his sadness. Harry didn't know why Remus would be sad an occasion like this. Yet remembering all the things everyone had said, he remembered the two sentences that might have hurt Remus just a bit, the ones that Mrs. Weasley had said: 'He's dead! And so is Peter Pettigrew!'. Was he feeling sad that his ex-friend, one who he had shared great moments with in his youth, was dead?   
  
Harry tried to ignore this and continued on listening to their conversations.  
  
"Dear me, I'm hungry!" said Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"It's lunch time, why don't we go in that Sweetsland?" suggested Mr. Weasley. "I heard they had a restaurant. Plus, the kids are already eating there."  
  
"I guess that settles it!" said Remus, as they all went into the shop.  
  
They all rushed into the sweets shop and bought lunch there. Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron finished their lunches. All of the shops in Diagon Alley had a sale of 50% off everything sold in Diagon Alley.   
  
After eating their lunch, the whole gang rushed over to Fred and George's joke shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Entering the boutique, they noticed it was very busy. Harry looked around to see that it had all the practical joke items Harry remembered Fred and George had invented: prank fake wands, Ton Tongued Toffee, Bewitched Bludgers,   
  
Skiving Snackboxes and more. Harry went up to the counter, where Fred was just giving a receipt to a customer when he looked up and smiled.   
  
"Why hello, Harry!" smiled Fred.  
  
"Hello, Fred," said Harry.  
  
"Happy aren't you, Harry? That ugly, bad wizard is gone. With him gone, everything is at peace and we've got huge business!"  
  
"Right!" said George who had just come up to the counter. "We're doing gigantic business, I mean bigger than Hagrid! Business is booming more than rockets with the 50%-off sale!"  
  
"Yeah! Really Harry, if it wasn't for you, we would never have been able to do this!"  
  
"Don't mention it," said Harry. "You needed those Galleons more than me."  
  
"So, do you want to buy anything?" asked Fred.  
  
"Hello, Fred and George!" said Remus, going up to the counter.   
  
"Hello, Remus! Would you like to buy anything?"  
  
"Yes, of course! I have this co-worker named Chris who is in love with making pranks on people. I would like to buy him one of those fake wands, he has been dying to get his hands on one of those for ages."  
  
"Sure, I'll just get some."  
  
Fred went to a corner of the shop and got several wands.  
  
"We have a wand that blows up in your face, a wand that says disturbing things to you, a wand that squirts jelly into your face..."  
  
"I'll take the one that squirts jelly in your face. Do you by any chance have any Marauder's Maps? I'm an Auror and I'd like one to use at work. Plus, I still remember the fun we had when we were young. It'll bring back memories."  
  
"Oh sure we do! And we've got just the map for an Auror like you!"  
  
George went under the counter and pulled out a piece of parchment that looked very much like the Maurdere's Map Harry used in his 3rd year at Hogwarts.  
  
"Here, it's a map of United Kingdom. Great for trapping criminals!"  
  
"Thank you!" said Remus as he was handed the map. "I think I'll show this to the boss. This could come in pretty handy. I'll keep you in touch."  
  
"You and the rest of the marauders are our idols," admitted Fred. "Although we never would have believed you were one of them."  
  
"One of our professors, a maurader!" said George.  
  
"All along that year, we were being taught by the one and only, Moony!"  
  
"Oh how we love the marauders!"  
  
"Thanks," sighed Remus. "I- uhm... appreciate it."  
  
Harry could see something disturbing Remus. Was the thought of his old, dead friends disturbing him?  
  
George pushed some buttons on the cashier and totaled up the amount.  
  
"That will be 12 Galleons please!" said George.  
  
Remus took out his money and paid, as George gave him his items.   
  
"By the way, you, the Grangers and the rest of the Weasleys are all invited to my house after," said Remus.  
  
"An invitation from a marauder?"  
  
"Of course we'll take it!"  
  
Remus and Harry said goodbye to the two as the other Weasleys started to talk to George and Fred. Afterwards, they explored Diagon Alley more.  
  
At 4 o'clock, they all went to Remus' house. He gave them all a tour of his home (which was requested by of course, Fred and George). The Weasleys adored the house, and Mr. Weasley couldn't stop looking at the leather couches. He kept on repeatedly asking Remus about Muggle furniture.  
  
Remus and Molly Weasley cooked dinner (Remus made his famous jelly-filled scones) and ate in the dining room. They all chatted and took place in vivid conversations, having their own little celebration.  
  
Unfortunately after a while, the conversations became dull and uninteresting to Harry. Everyone was so happy about Lord Voldemort being gone, yet Harry still had that strange feeling of depression.   
  
As everyone took part into their conversations near the end of the evening, Harry slipped out into the background. Its colourful flower garden, vegetable garden, lush green grass and tall peach tree gave Harry a fresh feeling of the outdoors. Its stone paths, comfortable gazebo, yard furniture, glowing lanterns and swinging sofa made Harry feel welcome. It was starting to become one of the many places that Harry felt safe.   
  
Harry walked through the stone path up to the swinging sofa, and prompted himself onto it. He lied back and stared straight up into the starry night, the stars twinkling like tiny fairies and lanterns far away into a distant universe, and the half-moon glowed and dominated the night sky (Remus must be happy it's not a full moon, thought Harry).   
  
As the summer was closing to an end, the chilly autumn season was upon them, as the days started to become shorter and night fell onto London a lot quicker, though instead of moist humidity it was a crisp, chilly night. The darkness of the night fell upon the cheerful and lively backyard, and laid it to rest as if everything was going to sleep.   
  
Harry turned to the side at the Chang residence, and tried to glare beyond the white fence to see if Cho was near. He soon recognized that all the lights were off in the household. They must be celebrating with relatives, thought Harry.  
  
Harry looked up again at the dim sky and stared up at the deep, dark ocean of twinkling lights. He could quickly spot many of the constellations he had studied in Astronomy.   
  
At the top-right of his view of the sky, he could spot the canine constellation of Sirius. Oh Sirius... thought Harry to himself. He leaned his elbows onto his knees and looked up at the sky, as if addressing it.  
  
"Oh how I miss you, Sirius," mumbled Harry quietly, as if sending whispers all the way to where Sirius was. "At least you're probably up there, in the heavens, which is a better place than this world. Lord Voldemort's gone too now, he's obviously gone to the other place.... down there...   
  
"They killed him you know, Lord Voldemort. He's gone, and everyone's celebrating. On the way home we saw a few wizards and witches dancing in the streets and hugging each other, with a few bonfires here and there.   
  
"Yet even as everyone celebrates, I have mixed feelings. Of all the people in the world, I should be the most happy, yet I'm not. I was supposed to kill him, not whoever's head of the war. They won't even tell me who it is! I would like to give them a piece of my mind. Why did Dumbledore let this happen? He knew about it, he told me! It's in the Prophecy! I was supposed to kill him!  
  
"I can't believe myself, wanting to kill someone. It sounds barbaric, but he ruined my life! He killed my parents, he got Bellatrix to kill you, he took away my peace and he gave me this fame that I don't even want! If it was anyone's responsibility to kill him, it would be me! I wanted to kill him! It's my job-"  
  
"Harry?"  
  
Harry turned around and saw Ron and Hermione, walking down the steps of the back door and into the backyard.   
  
"Oh, hello," said Harry.  
  
"Did you want to be alone?" asked Hermione. "We'll go back inside if you-"  
  
"No no, you can stay here," said Harry, feeling embarrassed at talking to himself. "Take a seat and relax, go ahead."  
  
Ron and Hermione walked down the steps and across the yard to where Harry was sitting, and both of them sat down on the swinging sofa. Ron pushed gently to make the sofa swing slightly.  
  
"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" said Hermione, looking up at the sky. "You can tell that fall's near. I can even see a few constellations."  
  
"Hermione, is it impossible for you to not think about school for just one minute?" remarked Ron.  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
"Please guys, I'm sick and tired of you bickering at each other!" scolded Harry, laying back and resting.  
  
"Sorry," sighed Hermione. "We didn't mean to aggravate you. Of course you won't be having much aggravation from Lord Voldemort anymore. Isn't that great, Harry?"  
  
"Yeah, it's super," sighed Harry. "Great, wahoo."  
  
"Harry, what's wrong?" asked Ron concerned. "Of everyone, you should-"  
  
"- be the happiest that Voldemort's dead," said Harry. "I know, I know. It's just... it's hard to explain."  
  
"Harry, you can tell us!" said Hermione.  
  
"Really, it's nothing-"  
  
"Come on, mate!" said Ron. "We know something's bothering you."  
  
"You won't understand," said Harry. "I-"  
  
Should he tell them about the Prophecy? It was as if all his feelings needed to be explained by that Prophecy. Should he be telling anyone about it? Yet they were his best friends, they were the ones who stuck by him through every single thing he did. They had a right to know.  
  
"Harry, do you want to tell us anything?" asked Hermione.  
  
"I should have told you earlier," he said in guilt. "I could have told you at the end of the school year, but I didn't."  
  
"What is it?" asked Ron.  
  
"What I'm about to tell you may shock you," cautioned Harry. "You see, at the end of the 5th year, Dumbledore told me that there was a reason that Lord Voldemort tried to kill me in particular. There was this prophecy that was said, that born when the 7th month died, was a boy who would be equal to Voldemort, but he will have a special power unlike the Dark Lord, which he doesn't know. In the end, one would have to kill the other. The boy born when the 7th month died, the end of July, was me."  
  
Ron and Hermione became still, silent, dumbfounded than ever before, maybe even shocked to the core. A frightened look spread across their face, they were pale, and they started to tremble. Harry thought it might have come to a shock, but he never knew how much. The evening that was thought to be a dark, ending-summer night suddenly became more chill, as Hermione gaped her mouth to speak.  
  
"You m-m-mean," stuttered Hermione, "that you are Voldemort's equal, and that you have some special power that can defeat him?"  
  
"Yes," he answered, "although I'm still not positive what special power I have. It could be the love that my mother gave me when she sacrificed her life for me, or it could be something else."  
  
"And... one of you could have died in the end?" asked Ron trembling.  
  
"Yes.... either him or I," said Harry. "For a while, I thought that no matter what I'd do, my life would always be on the line, that there would be no escape. Obviously, I was wrong."   
  
"S-s-so, if Dumbledore knew about this, why did they have a war when they knew you were the only one to defeat him?" asked Hermione.  
  
"I don't know," said Harry, wondering that too. "I thought about that this summer. I want to ask Dumbledore about it when we get to Hogwarts."  
  
"Good idea," said Hermione, laying back on the swinging couch.  
  
"So... the Prophecy was phony?" asked Ron.  
  
"I have no idea," said Harry. "Professor Trelawney made it."  
  
"No wonder! Of course it's phony," said Hermione, who loathed Professor Trelawney immensely.  
  
"But she also predicted that Voldemort would come back," said Harry.   
  
"Maybe there was another meaning to it."  
  
"Maybe there was. I just feel... weird about what happened."  
  
"Did you feel as if you were the one who was supposed to kill Voldemort, not the army?" suggested Ron.  
  
"Exactly!" said Harry, a bit shocked. "Wow, you really understand me, do you?"  
  
"Of course I do, mate! You're my best friend. The truth is, if someone made this giant Prophecy about me, not like that would ever happen, and I started to feel a sense of responsibility, then suddenly everything gets taken away and what I was born to do was achieved by someone that I don't even know, then I'd feel pretty empty."  
  
"Thank you so much for understanding!" said Harry. "I felt like no one understands me a few times this summer."  
  
"You've been through a lot, Harry," implied Hermione. "Not many people will understand you."  
  
"Actually, if I was you, I would really be the one to get rid of him, Prophecy or not," said Ron. "After all the trouble he caused you!"  
  
"I know," said Harry smiling, glad finally someone understood him. "He killed my parents, he ruined my life, he gave me this stupid scar, and it's all his fault that Sirius died!"  
  
"I thought you would be over that by now?" asked Hermione.  
  
"What?" questioned Harry. "You think- It's only been 2 months, Hermione!"  
  
"I know, but you didn't really know him for long. I assumed-"  
  
"Well you didn't assume right!" shouted Harry, as he stood up and backed away from his seat so he was facing both his friends. "He was basically the closest thing I ever had to a father, the one person who made me feel more connected with my parents, and then he was ripped away from me!"  
  
"I'm sorry-"  
  
"No, you're not! If you were, you wouldn't have said it in the first place! YOU KNEW HOW MUCH HE MEANT TO ME! YOU KNEW, AND SO DID YOU, RON! HE'S GONE NOW, AND HE WENT SO GRUESOMELY, JUST LIKE MY PARENTS!"  
  
"Harry, please!" begged Ron.  
  
"DON'T 'PLEASE' ME! NONE OF YOU UNDERSTAND! I THOUGHT YOU DID, BUT OBVIOUSLY YOU DON'T! VOLDEMORT RUINED MY LIFE! HE ABSOLUTELY RUINED MY LIFE! IF ANYONE DESERVED TO DESTROY HIM, IT WOULD BE ME, BECAUSE HE PRACTICALLY DESTROYED ME TOO!"  
  
"Harry, please don't do this!" begged Hermione.  
  
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"   
  
"Please Harry, please!" pleaded Ron.  
  
Harry stared back to Hermione and Ron, and saw the terror and plead in their eyes. 'I wouldn't suggest ruining any relationships with others over an angry fit', was what Remus told him on their way to London, and that moment in the yard was a perfect example of what he explained. Over the past year, he had become a raging, angry monster. Why had he done this to his friends?  
  
"I'm so sorry," apologized Harry as he trembled, and plopped down into his seat. "I can't believe what I just did."  
  
"We know you've got a lot of anger in you," said Hermione.  
  
"You needed to let it out," said Ron.  
  
"No, you don't have to make excuses for me. I should be apologizing, not you. This year I've been so angry. I really need to cool down."  
  
"It's puberty," explained Hermione. "At our age, we'll be experiencing-"  
  
"Please, Hermione, I've had enough puberty talks from my parents," begged Ron. "Harry just needs space to express himself."  
  
"Gee, thanks!" said Harry. "Seriously, I appreciate it."  
  
"No problem, mate! You're going through a lot. But do you know what really sucks? We haven't been getting any information about the war. This is a war we're talking about, with Voldemort! We deserve to know."  
  
"You don't know either?" asked Harry.  
  
"I have no clue, and neither does Hermione. Of course, the 'Order of the Phoenix', the Ministry and Hogwarts get all the details, and leave us all clueless!"  
  
"Have you been to Grimmauld Place?" asked Harry.  
  
"No, but Mum, Dad and Bill have dropped by a couple of times. Do you know if Remus has?"  
  
"A few times he contacted some members, but that's it, although I think he went before I came."  
  
"You know, you are really lucky to have Remus," said Hermione.  
  
"I know," admitted Harry.  
  
"But as I told Ron before, the only reason why they're not giving information is so no information falls into the wrong hands. Plus, they just want to keep it low-key."  
  
"That's what Remus told me," said Harry. "They don't want the media getting all over them."  
  
"But did they have to take away the Daily Prophet?" whined Ron.  
  
"The Daily Prophet?" questioned Harry curiously. "Oh my goodness! I've been... well, grieving for Sirius.. so much this summer that I completely forgot about the Daily Prophet!"  
  
"You forgot about the Daily Prophet? I cannot believe you forgot!"  
  
"Well what happened?"  
  
"As I said," said Hermione, "they don't want to let info fall into the wrong hands. There could be an article in an issue that a Death Eater or associate of Voldemort could find useful. And because the journalists weren't getting information, they went on strike, and they're trying to save up on paper and ink. The war's been bad with the Wizard Economy."  
  
"Really?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yeah!" said Ron. "They had a shortage of cauldrons until a week ago, and there haven't been any Magically-Made Margarine for a while."  
  
"I never knew that," said Harry. "Do you think we'll get the Daily Prophet tomorrow?"   
  
"I hope so, and they can give us a long explanation!" said Ron.  
  
"Harry, you didn't happen by any chance have some really bad burnings in your scar, did you?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Actually I had a couple of really bad ones," said Harry. "The first time my head was burning immensely, and when I looked out the window, I saw a parade of wizards and witches, including you two!"  
  
"Now that's messed up," said Ron.  
  
"After I collapsed and woke up two days later!"  
  
"WAIT A MINUTE, HOLD ON!" said Ron loudly, as Hermione gasped. "You, were unconscious, for two days?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Now that's crazy."  
  
"Do you know what caused it?" asked Hermione.  
  
"No, I don't," said Harry. "Well the second time was yesterday, and I had the biggest burn in my scar I ever had! It burnt like molten lava in my head, and I was even hearing a shrill high-pitched sound in my head!"  
  
"Oh poor you!" gasped Hermione. "How long did it last?"  
  
"Ten minutes, and at the end I had a really bad burn that I felt I was going to die."  
  
"Oh dear!" gasped Hermione again, putting her hands to her mouth.  
  
"I felt this pain of something slicing my neck afterwards, and then, suddenly all the pain disappeared."  
  
"Whoa..." said Ron.   
  
"I guess you had that burn when Voldemort died," said Hermione. "Did you tell Remus?"  
  
"No, I don't think he needs to know. I'm fine, and you're right, it was probably from Voldemort being killed. There's no need to tell him."  
  
"Hey guys!" said Ginny, who had just come out of the back door and walked to them. "I cannot stand Fred and George worshipping those marauders anymore! I just had to come out here with all of you."   
  
Ginny took one of the chairs near the set, laid it near the swinging couch and sat down on it.  
  
"So, how are all you doing?" she asked.  
  
"Pretty good," said Hermione. "So Ginny, congrats on being Prefect!"  
  
"Thanks, although Mum's making it embarrassing. She tells everyone that I made it, and she sings about it in the kitchen!"  
  
"Now you know how I felt," sighed Ron. "Have Fred and George teased you yet?"  
  
"They were teasing a bit inside," said Ginny. "I'm a bit scared of them now. They said they'll tease me any time they get, since they're living in London now."  
  
"Oh are they?" said Hermione. "They settled in London?"  
  
"Yeah, they've got an apartment here," said Ron, "just like Percy."  
  
"Is he still avoiding the family?" asked Harry.  
  
"Actually they settled their quarrels now, though they still don't talk to each other much, not that any of us wants to!"  
  
"He's such a snob!" said Ginny.   
  
"Have you seen their apartments?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Yeah we have," said Ron. "Percy's is really nice, though Fred and George's is really messy, even though it's pretty funky."  
  
"And they're not even going to learn how to clean after themselves!" said Ginny. "They say once they've saved enough money, they'll get a cleaner."  
  
"Hey, I'd do the same thing," said Ron.  
  
"Are the twins working for the Order?" asked Harry.  
  
"No, they decided not to. They'd rather work at their joke shop."  
  
"So Ginny, do you have any new boyfriends?" asked Hermione.  
  
Hermione put her hands to her mouth, knowing she had just said something wrong. Immediately, Ron's eyebrow started to flinch and he had an angry look on his face.  
  
"Hermione, did you have to bring that up?" questioned Ron furiously.  
  
"Ron, she can ask whatever she wants!" scolded Ginny. "Anyway, I don't have a boyfriend at the moment, but I would like to start dating again when I get to Hogwarts."  
  
"Ginny, are you literally trying to kill me from worry?" questioned Ron. "Seriously, you're getting me so worked up that I feel like I'll explode from frustration. Why are you doing this to me?"  
  
"I'm not!" said Ginny, who was starting to get angry at Ron. "I have a life, you know. Just because you can't get a girlfriend, that doesn't mean you have to bug me about it!"  
  
"Why don't you just dig a hole and throw me in it, because that's what I feel you're doing!"  
  
"If that happens, I'll get the shovel," muttered Hermione.  
  
"Ron, just calm down!" said Harry. "It's her life, let her live it."  
  
"But I'm her older brother, I'm supposed to look after her!"  
  
"And you are! She needs her space, you know."  
  
"Fine," mumbled Ron as he crossed his arms.  
  
Just then Mrs. Weasley opened the backdoor to call them in.  
  
"We're leaving, Ginny and Ron, and so is your family, Hermione," stated Mrs. Weasley with her head peeking out from the door. "Come on in."   
  
Harry and the rest of them stood up and walked back into the house, a bit disappointed the evening had to end so soon. They all said goodbye to each other and left Remus' house to go back to their own homes.   
  
As Remus was putting away the tea set and cookie trays, Harry sat down on one of the dining room chairs to rest.  
  
"So did you have a good time today?" asked Remus from the kitchen.  
  
"Yeah, it's been great," sighed Harry. "And you?"  
  
"Oh yeah, wonderful, I had a wonderful time," said Remus, who was trying to act cheerful. Harry could notice that there was just something in his voice that didn't make him seem too happy, the same kind of expression he had in Diagon Alley.  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Harry. "Are you sure you had such a wonderful time?"  
  
"Yes, of course," answered Remus. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"You don't seem so cheerful," told Harry. "Does it... does it have something to do with... Peter Pettigrew?"  
  
Remus put away the last tea cup of the set and slowly closed the cabinet. A look of depression came across his face.  
  
"Yes, yes it does," he sighed, as he walked slowly over to the dining room table and sat down on a chair. "I really don't know why I should be feeling this way. I mean, Voldemort is dead and-"  
  
"Remus, I personally am happy he's dead, but I can understand why you're completely not," said Harry. "Peter was your friend, even though he went over to the dark side."  
  
"I know, but it was his fault James died! He deserved what he got, he betrayed us! He betrayed the Order of the Phoenix! All those years we thought we could trust each other, then suddenly he goes off with the Death Eaters. So, why am I so sad?"  
  
"I think you know why, Remus," sighed Harry.  
  
"I do, I know I do, but- After all the things he did to us, he framed Sirius, he let Voldemort know where your parents were hiding, he betrayed the Order, and I still miss him for some reason.... He's evil, I shouldn't miss him."  
  
"I think that's what makes us different from those who are evil," sighed Harry. "We don't hold grudges for ex-friends after death."  
  
"That sounds like something Dumbledore would say, but it's true. I mean, he was.. Peter, Peter Pettigrew, Wormtail, our friend, one of the mighty marauders.... and now he's... dead, like all of them."  
  
Remus put his elbow onto the table and put his knuckles to his lip.   
  
"I can't believe I'm the only surviving marauder," sighed Remus in a dismal tone. "I mean, we're still pretty young, well at least I am. It seems so scary, that out of all of them, I'm the one who's still.... alive. If I ever thought any of us would die young it would be me, I mean, I was the werewolf. I never knew our friendship would end like this, you know?"  
  
"Yeah, I understand," said Harry.  
  
"Because of it, I couldn't celebrate the day as much as I wanted to. You, Harry, must have had a great time though. You finally have that good-for-nothing wizard off your back."  
  
"Actually I'm not too happy either."  
  
"Why? Out of anyone in the world-"  
  
"-I should be the happiest he's dead, I know," said Harry. "But that Prophecy... I thought I was going to kill him! He's the one who put torture in my life and gave me a hard time, I should be the one to kill him! I thought it was my destiny...."  
  
"I think I might understand that," said Remus. "You felt that you had this giant responsibility, yet someone took that away from you and you feel empty, right?"  
  
"Exactly. You know, I would really like to find out who killed him and give them a piece of my mind-"  
  
"Harry, don't think those thing!" said Remus. "You're frustration is getting in the way of your thinking. Don't worry, you'll meet them eventually and you'll see that you can't be mad at them. The truth is, they probably didn't want to kill him."  
  
"When will I find out who they are?"  
  
"Soon," said Remus with a small wink. "You've got a bit more time before you go to bed, you should pack up for school."  
  
"Good thinking. Good night."  
  
"Good night, Harry."  
  
Harry stood up and slumped slowly up the stairs and to his bedroom, where all his new things were laid on his bed. He stuffed all his robes and school supplies into his suitcases, though when it came to the box of the album and Sirius' belongings, he pushed his things aside to make room for the box and laid the box gently into his suitcase. He zipped everything up and put them on the ground.   
  
Harry couldn't wait for his first NEWT year and 6th term at Hogwarts, though the news of Voldemort's death troubled him the whole night. I can't believe it, I'm actually whining and complaining that Voldemort's dead, thought Harry. I feel so disgusted with myself. Maybe I'll feel better in the morning.  
  
Thinking this, he got ready for bed and slept soundly, though his slumber sleep was disturbed by visions of Voldemort from all their encounters.... the small memory he had of his parents' death.... Cedric's death... the graveyard.... the night at the Ministry.... the veil....  
  
Author's Note: I really hope you liked that chapter. The next one will be 'Chapter 5: From Platform 9 3/4 to the Great Hall with a Surprise in Between'. I know, really long name. But it's super interesting! It's where you read the big twist that'll start the story, and you'll find out why I called it 'Harry Potter and the Princesses for Magic'. Oh, and PLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAASSSSSSEEEE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!! See that button? No, not that one. Yeah, that one, the one that says 'go'? Please click it and type! I beg you! 


	5. From Platform 9 34 to the Great Hall wit...

Harry Potter and the Princesses for Magic:  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. It's a let-down for me, but it's true. OH, I forgot to say before that Sweetsland if my own idea, modified from that treats shop.... I forgot what it's called.... it's from Hogsmeade.... but it's like a candy-super store. I've got another disclaimer, but I can't say it now 'cause it'll spoil the chapter.   
  
Author's Note: Hey readers! Thanks a bunch, again, to anyone who reviewed! And remember, I appreciate EVERY SINGLE REVIEW. SO REVIEW!!! So, Harry's found out that Voldemort's dead. Yep, gone. Confused how he died? No problemo! That'll be explained just a bit in this chapter, and the whole entire explanation will be done the chapter after that. For this chapter, Harry'll find out the two new students that will change his 6th year, and maybe life! Also including a Sorting Hat song I made up myself. Anyway, hope you like it!  
  
Chapter 5  
  
From Platform 9 3/4 to the Great Hall   
  
with Surprise and Mystery in Between  
  
Harry woke up at 8 o'clock in the morning, cold and clammy from his awful nightmare of his encounters with Voldemort. He shook off his sleepiness, slipped out of his bed and stretched to the ceiling, yawning here and there. All of his crankiness and sorrow from the day before vanished as the crisp autumn air blew through his window. Today would be the day he'd get on that Hogwarts Express and go back to school, where a whole new year was waiting for him, one without (finally!) Voldemort.  
  
"This year'll be a great year!" he said to himself. "No Voldemort or worries, just a great wizarding year ahead of me."  
  
He quickly got dressed and went downstairs, dragging his luggage in the foyer down with him. Remus was already downstairs eating breakfast. Remus looked up from his cup of tea to greet Harry.  
  
"Good morning, Harry!" said Remus. "Ready for your first NEWT year?"  
  
"Of course I am!" said Harry, taking a seat at the table. "Are NEWTs that hard?"  
  
"They can be pretty tough," said Remus, "but it depends on your study habits. You can't be lazy on your homework anymore. You have to really work hard at it."  
  
"You know what, I'm going to do my best this year!" said Harry merrily. "I'll focus on my studies and everything, with no worry of Voldemort coming after me!"  
  
"My are you ever cheery," remarked Remus.  
  
"Yeah, I'm feeling this sudden happiness right now. I guess I just woke up and thought to myself, 'Hey, I've got nothing to fear; Voldemort's gone!'"  
  
"I knew you'd calm down," said Remus. "Now eat your breakfast. It's waiting for you on the counter."  
  
Harry merrily grabbed his plate full of food and glass of juice and sat down at the table. It was a delicious breakfast with sausage, bacon, pancakes, toast, scrambled eggs and orange juice. Right after breakfast, Harry rechecked all of the things that he would bring to Hogwarts. By 10 o'clock, they were out the door, in the car and on their way to Kings Cross Train Station. On the way, they listened to the wizard rock band "Boys 'n' Brooms" on the wizard radio while all the Muggles on the road stared at the beautiful, silver Thunderbird.   
  
By 11:30 a.m., they were at the train station. Remus helped Harry put all his luggage onto the trolley and headed to find Platform 9 3/4. Once they found it, they both stood and looked up at the numbers of the two platforms it was in between, Platforms 9 and 10.  
  
"Ah.... Platform 9 3/4. Just how I remember it! The good old days..."  
  
"I'd better get onto the platform," said Harry.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"  
  
"No, it's okay. I'm fine. I've been doing this for more than 6 years, you know."  
  
"Yes, of course. Well, there are your friends!" pointed out Remus as Ron and Hermione were racing their trolleys towards him with their pets (Crookshanks and Pig) clutching onto their luggage and Ginny behind them.  
  
Harry turned around and gave them a warm wave. They finally got to him, panting.  
  
"Ron! Hermione! Ginny! You're finally here!"  
  
"Hey Harry," said Ron. "Oh my goodness, you will not believe the celebrations Ginny and I saw when we went home!"  
  
"It's so pathetic how crazy some witches and wizards act," sighed Hermione. "Muggles could get suspicious!"  
  
"I guess we should go on the platform now," implied Ginny.  
  
"Yes, of course," said Hermione. "Ladies first, as they always say!"  
  
"Ladies first, as they always say!" imitated Ron sarcastically in a low voice so only Harry could hear him.   
  
She concentrated, ran to the platform with her trolley and disappeared into the wall. After came Ginny who did the same thing as Hermione, and so did Ron afterwards. Before Harry went, Remus gave Harry a big hug.  
  
"I'm going to miss you a lot, Harry," said Remus with a warm smile. "This was one of the best summers of my life. You really brought me back to my earlier years. Before you go, I'd like to give you a present."  
  
Remus pulled out a brand new belonging carrier box out of his pocket. Harry's eyes opened with delight.  
  
"Thank you, Remus!" exclaimed Harry. "Thank you so much!"  
  
"Oh your welcome," said Remus. "Here, I'll show you how to use it."  
  
Remus showed Harry how to use the fascinating wizard mechanism. He beamed all the luggage into the box and put it in his pocket (but he didn't beam up Hedwig, of course, that's just cruelty to animals). Remus hugged Harry tightly and said goodbye. Remus looked like he would cry, but he tried to act strong.   
  
Harry ran through the wall separating Platform 9 and Platform 10 and magically appeared onto Platform 9 3/4 where the Hogwarts Express was toot-tooting away with steam as the Hogwarts students packed their luggage onto the train. Harry followed his friends onto the train, glad that he didn't have to put anything in the luggage compartment. When he passed by the luggage compartment, he met his arch-enemy Draco Malfoy and his cronies Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.  
  
"Well, if it isn't the orphan boy, the cheapo and the Muggle-born!" snickered Draco Malfoy in a sarcastic look.  
  
"Back off, Malfoy!" shouted Harry. "If you're really up to being a Prefect, I suggest acting like one."  
  
"Oh Potter, I think that stupid scar on your head is effecting your brain!" taunted Malfoy. "After all these years we've known each other, might I add those were 5 horrible years, you still actually think I'd take advice from you!"  
  
His two cronies giggled at Malfoy's disgusting joke (obviously because they were too stupid to make up their own).   
  
"Just shut up, Malfoy!" said Harry. "The only people who find your jokes funny are your cronies, in other words, your bodyguards, because they couldn't tell the difference between a good joke or a bad joke if their life depended on it."  
  
"I wouldn't go off saying things like that if I were you," snickered Malfoy, holding up his Prefect badge. "I could report you."  
  
Malfoy suddenly glared at Hermione, Ginny and Ron's trolleys that they'd just recently put in the compartment, and he noticed how Harry didn't have anything but a bird cage with his owl in it.  
  
"Now why isn't Harry Potter putting his luggage in the compartment?" questioned Malfoy mischievously. "Is he afraid the Dark Lord is going to pop up and take him away? Or maybe he doesn't have any luggage, like he doesn't have any parents?"  
  
All three of the evil wizards laughed. Harry was getting a bit ticked off at his remarks.  
  
"First of all Draco, Lord Voldemort is dead," responded Harry. "You should know that, especially your father! Even if I don't have any parents, it's probably a lot better than being brought up with stuck-up people like you! Second, I do have luggage and all of it is in this tiny gizmo in my pocket that Remus Lupin, my mentor who just happens to be one of the Chief Aurors at Headquartres, gave to me, which was imported from Italy!" he said as he pulled out the belonging carrier box. Malfoy scowled with jealousy and awe.  
  
"You have one of those?!?" questioned Draco angrily. "I begged my father to get me one of those! Those are one of the best wizard gadgets imported from there!"   
  
"Well, too bad!" said Harry. "You might have parents, but you don't have an awesome mentor and a belonging carrier box like me."  
  
"This is ridiculous!" said Malfoy, as if he had something better to do (which obviously, he didn't). "I have to leave to the Prefect compartment, something you'll never see, Potter!"  
  
Malfoy strutted into the next car, while Crabbe and Goyle stood cluelessly still. Malfoy opened the door in frustration, and looked at his cronies with angry eyes.  
  
"Well, go on!" he shouted at Crabbe and Goyle, who finally got the message through their thick heads and left. Harry's friends giggled their hearts out once they were gone.  
  
"Oh did you ever show him, Harry!" said Ginny.  
  
"Thanks," said Harry.  
  
"Oh dear," gasped Hermione. "Sorry, Harry, but we have to go to the Prefect Car. You understand, right?"  
  
"Of course," sighed Harry, who was actually quite disappointed that he couldn't spend most of the journey with his friends, which had dimmed his happiness for the new school year. "I guess I'll see you soon."  
  
"Goodbye!" said Ron, as he left to the next compartment with Hermione and Ginny.   
  
Harry sighed and walked through the hall of booths, where Hogwarts students from 1st year to 7th year chatted with friends. Harry wondered who he'd sit with now that Hermione and Ron were gone.  
  
"Harry, over here!" said Neville, a boy in Harry's year, who was waving his hands to signal Harry to sit with him. Harry rushed over to the booth, occupied only by Neville himself. Harry quickly sat comfortably on a seat near the window.   
  
"Wow, Harry!" said Neville astonishingly as he held on tightly to his frog, Trevor. "I never knew you could tell Malfoy off like that! That was fantastic!"  
  
"Thanks," said Harry with a smile.   
  
The train jerked a little bit and then started running on the tracks. The train was now on its way to Hogwarts.  
  
"So, what happened to that Mimbulus mimbletonia?"  
  
"Actually, I've still got it," said Neville as he laid down Trevor and got out the funky-looking plant, which had grown tremendously since the last time Harry saw it. "It's grown now, and I'm really excited to get other ones. They're fascinating you know..."  
  
"Yeah, right," said Harry.  
  
"Are you still banned from Quidditch?" asked Neville.  
  
"No, but I'm not too sure if I'm back on the team," replied Harry happily.   
  
"I think they'll let you back on the team and you'll make Gryffindor captain," said Neville. "Angelina's gone, and you're pretty much the best player on the team."  
  
"Really? You think?"  
  
"Of course! You're fantastic at it! I think you'll definitely be a good captain."  
  
"I hope so," said Harry, as he started to think of how great it would be to be captain.  
  
Suddenly, the trolley lady stopped at their booth with a whole cart filled with wizard sweets.  
  
"Anything you want to buy from the trolley today, sweeties?" asked the lady.  
  
"All right," said Neville, as he pulled out a few Sickles. "I'll have a Chocolate Frog.  
  
Neville gave the trolley lady the Sickles and the lady handed him a Chocolate Frog.  
  
"Would you like anything, dear?" asked the lady to Harry.  
  
"No thank you," replied Harry.  
  
The trolley lady nodded and passed by the next booth. Neville opened his box, quickly ate the Chocolate Frog and looked at the Wizard Card.   
  
"All right!" exclaimed Neville with glee. "I've finally got Sir Lance Herbilious, one of the world's famous herbologists!"  
  
"That's....great," said Harry (although he quite thought the opposite).  
  
"Why didn't you want anything off the trolley?" asked Neville as he put his Wizard Card in his pocket.  
  
"I went to Sweetsland yesterday," replied Harry. "Didn't you go?"  
  
"I wanted to, but my Grams thought that I've been having enough sweets this summer," sighed Neville. "It's a bit silly, you know. I'm 16 years old now."  
  
"I know how you feel," said Harry.  
  
"So," whispered Neville, as he drew closer to Harry, "are you mad?"  
  
"Mad?" asked Harry suspiciously. "Mad about what?"  
  
"You know," whispered Neville, "that you're supposed to kill him?"  
  
"What?" asked Harry. Neville hushed him, and then Harry lowered his voice too. "What?"  
  
"About the Prophecy," answered Neville.  
  
"Y-you know about it?" questioned Harry.  
  
"Oh yeah, my Grams told me when I was younger. She told me about you too. She was quite glad that I wasn't the one, you know, said the wizarding world would be lost if it was in my hands."  
  
Harry was shocked Neville knew. All this time, when Harry had never known why Voldemort tried to kill him, Neville knew all along. It came to Harry as quite a surprise.  
  
"I never knew you knew," whispered Harry.  
  
"Well, are you mad?" asked Neville.  
  
"I was angrier yesterday, but not much today," responded Harry. "I'm just glad he's gone."  
  
"Me too," sighed Neville. "Do you still think about, well, that night?"  
  
"Every night," said Harry. "I can't get it out of my head."  
  
"Same here," said Neville. "It was.. really freaky. I never knew what was in me until then. Are you still mourning for Sirius?"  
  
"Yeah I am," sighed Harry, as the thought of his godfather depressed him. "I've been sulking all summer."  
  
"I'm really sorry that happened," said Neville. "Grams knew, she has connections with the Order, since my... my parents were in it. She knew he wasn't bad."  
  
At that moment, all the Prefects walked out of the next car, with Ron and Hermione near the front. Ron and Hermione rushed over to the booth Harry and Neville were at.  
  
"Hey guys!" said Ron as he sat down next to Harry.   
  
"Hello Neville," said Hermione, who took a seat as well.  
  
"Where's Ginny?" asked Harry.  
  
"She'll be sitting in another booth," replied Hermione.   
  
"So, did you eat all your sweets from Sweetsland yet, Ron?" asked Harry.  
  
"No, not all of it. I have a couple of pumpkin crisps and Beaver Tails in my luggage to eat in the common room. I ate a whole lot of sweets yesterday. I had stomach aches all night. I stayed in the loo for 5 hours!"  
  
"That's disturbing, Ron!" scolded Hermione.  
  
"Sorry," said Ron sarcastically.  
  
As Harry looked in the aisle of the train, he saw Pansy Parkinson walking down the aisle. She passed Malfoy's seat and they both gave scowls to each other. Harry became confused.  
  
"Pansy Parkinson and Malfoy scowled at each other," said Harry to his friends. "I wonder why."  
  
"What?"  
  
Pansy Parkinson was passing by their seats until Hermione stopped her by stretching her arm out. Pansy turned to Hermione.  
  
"What do you want, Granger?" she demanded in a rude way.  
  
"Why did you and Malfoy scowl at each other like that?"  
  
"We broke up during the summer, okay? Now go back to your Muggle-born business!"  
  
Hermione was extremely offended by the remark, but instead snickered with Ron and Harry at the news.  
  
"Wow, Pansy and Malfoy broke up!" said Ron. "Malfoy can't keep a girlfriend!"  
  
"First Malfoy gets disses by Harry, then I find out he's got no girlfriend," said Neville giggling. "I never knew I'd see the day when Malfoy'd seem like such a loser compared to me, eh?"  
  
As Harry nodded to Neville, Harry looked at the people in the booths. He saw two girls in the far corner that he'd never seen before. They looked like they would be in their 6th years, but Harry wasn't sure. One girl was very tall with a pointy nose. She had brown eyes and light red hair, like a firy blonde which she had put up in a bun. She was very skinny and had a very dark tan. The other one was very small, had a tan like her sister and was very chubby. She had ratty, dark brown hair and brown eyes. He could tell she was very nervous. She was chewing at her fingernails and squeezing the arm rest with the other hand while blankly looking out the window.  
  
"Guys," whispered Harry, "look at those two strange girls over there."  
  
All three of them peaked at the girls curiously.  
  
"Yeah! I know what you mean!" agreed Ron. "Wow, that chubby one looks really tense. She's not going to have any fingernails afterwards. And the other one, wow. She has a nice hair colour. It's kind of red, a better red than mine in fact!"  
  
"Let's go greet them!" suggested Hermione.  
  
"You three can go, but not me," said Neville. "I'm not great when it comes to greeting people. I'll meet them at school."  
  
"Whatever you say," said Harry.  
  
All of them took their belongings (basically their pets) and walked over to the booth the two strange girls were in. The firy blonde one looked up and smiled. She nudged the other one who looked up and grinned a little bit.  
  
"Hello!" said Hermione with a polite smile. "We noticed we've never seen you here before, and we wanted to say hi."  
  
"Hello, we ara new hera," said the firy blonde in broken English with an Italian accent. "We ara froma Italia. Pleaso to meeta yo!"  
  
"You're from Italy? I was vacationing there!" said Hermione.  
  
"We cana see," said the nervous one, looking at her tan.  
  
"My nama is Maria," said the tall girl. "My sista hera iso Rosa. Yo cana taka a seat, ya know."  
  
"Thank you," said Harry as they all sat down and made themselves comfortable.  
  
"Hi, I'm Ron Weasley," he greeted as he tried to settle down his hyper owl on his head.  
  
"I'm Hermione Granger," she said, stroking her cat.  
  
"And I'm Harry Potter."  
  
When Harry spoke his name, the two sisters' eyes widened. They looked at each other in shock, and then glared back.  
  
"Y-y-ou're Harry Potter?" stuttered Rosa excitedly. "Whya, wer're happya to meet yo!"   
  
She shook his hand very hard, and then laid back with a grin.  
  
"Uhmmm... I'm happy to meet you too," said Harry.  
  
"So, what wizard school did you go to before?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Nero Gatto Catholic Academia for Witches anda Wizards," stated Rosa.  
  
"That school?" exclaimed Hermione. "That's where the Royals go! Have you ever seen them?"  
  
"Yesa, we know thema..." said Maria shyly.  
  
Harry had no idea what they were talking about. He didn't bother to ask though, because they were so much into the conversation that he didn't get a chance to ask.  
  
"I guess this means you're going to have to wear the Sorting Hat," said Ron.  
  
"I guessa so," said Maria. "I hopa I'm ina Gryffindor!"  
  
"What a coincidence!" said Ron. "We're all in Gryffindor too!"  
  
"So, which one do you want to be in, Rosa?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Ravenclaw!" exclaimed Rosa.  
  
"I think that's a good house to be in," stated Hermione. "That's where all the witty students go. I thought I would go there. Do you want me to tell you what kind of students go into each house?"  
  
"No thanka yo," responded Rosa.  
  
"You already know?" asked Ron.  
  
"I've reada Hogwarts, a Historia, Volumes 1 anda 2," said Rosa.  
  
"Well, at least somebody has read that book. I read that book before I came to Hogw... Did you just say Volume 2?" questioned Hermione.  
  
"Yesa, it's new. It includesa the Philosepher's Stona, the Chambera of Secrets, tha Triwizard Tournamente..." said Rosa.  
  
"I never knew!" gasped Hermione. "I have got to read that book!"  
  
"You've got to read every book!" said Ron.  
  
"Anyway, what did you get on your O.W.L.s?" asked Hermione.  
  
"We don'ta like talkinge about ar' marksa," said Rosa. "We lika to keep thema to ourselves."  
  
"Unlike Hermione," muttered Ron.  
  
"Well, I guess we shouldn't be boasting about what we got. It's a bit rude. I heard the Royals got Outstandings in all their subjects, but they weren't completely great in Herbology. I've heard they're really not so great at Herbology. They don't like to get messy, but they still got Outstanding. They must be really smart. I would love to meet them!"  
  
"Yes, don'ta we alla," said Rosa in a strange tone.  
  
"Are you thinking of joining the Quidditch team?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yesi of coursa!" said Maria. "I woulda lova to be za, what do you calla? Oh, seeka!"  
  
"Actually, I'm seeker," said Harry.  
  
"Wella, good for you! It'sa okay! I like alla tha places. Do you know any empty spotsa?"  
  
"Well, if you get sorted into Gryffindor, you might be able to be Beater or Chaser," said Ron. "My brothers were the Beaters before and they graduated last year, although they got replacements and such so we're not too sure if those replacements will stay. We'll have to wait and see. If they are leaving the replaced spots open, you could be a Beater or Chaser."  
  
"What position would you like, Ros-"  
  
"Nothing!" declared Rosa.  
  
"Excuse me?"   
  
"Nothing, I don'ta like tha gama. It's horribla! Maybe Beater, I lika to hit things."  
  
"All right...."  
  
"Well, if you ever need some help with school, from getting to a classroom to help with homework, we'll help you," said Hermione.  
  
"That'sa greata!" said Maria.  
  
Suddenly, the train jerked and slowed down. They were at Hogwarts, as they could see out the window the majestic mounted castle surrounded by beautiful acres of land and deep lake.   
  
Everyone loaded off the train and hopped onto the platform. Stepping off the train, Harry tried to look back at the sisters. Strangely, they were gone. It was quite mysterious to him.   
  
They said hi to Hagrid, who was calling the 1st years, as they went into the carriages and headed to the castle where they would all meet in the Great Hall. Harry glared at the creatures pulling the carriages: Thestrals, a black horse-like creature with bat-like wings, which was only seen by those who had seen death. At the sight of them, Harry could only think of Sirius... his poor godfather.  
  
Neville, holding his plant and Trevor, caught up to Harry and his friends.  
  
"Sorry about that!" said Neville, panting. As he caught his breath, he spotted the Thestrals pulling the carriage. "Gee, those Thestrals creep me out. I guess we should go in now!"  
  
"Y-yeah," stuttered Harry, as he turned his view away from the Thestrals and got into the carriage with his friends.   
  
It was going to be a great feast. Once in the Great Hall, they took their seats and waited until Professor Flitwick laid the Sorting Hat onto the stool that it usually laid on. Then Professor McGonagoll brought in all the first years. Before they were sorted, the Sorting Hat sang an opening song:  
  
"Fellow students, gather round and put me on your head,  
  
it will be the place where you belong, the house that I will have said.  
  
Every year I figure out which house you will be going,  
  
you should agree with this wise, old hat because I am rather knowing.  
  
Let me see into your brain about where you ought to be,  
  
and then Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin will come out of me.  
  
Gryffindor is for the brave, whom of courageous heart,  
  
Hufflepuff is loyal, whom friendships won't fall apart.  
  
Ravenclaw is witty, whom seek knowledge and are smart,  
  
Slytherin is strong-willed and seek power, though somewhat small at heart.  
  
'So where will you be?' I must ask, and let me find out, it is the rule,  
  
and then you will be sorted and learn in this grand, old school!"  
  
"Thank you," said Professor McGonagoll, as she unrolled her scroll of parchment.  
  
"When I call your name, you will come up, put on the hat and be sorted. Abby, Abigail!"  
  
A small blonde girl put on the hat shyly and sat down.  
  
"Hufflepuff!" shouted the Sorting Hat, as the Hufflepuffs cheered and welcome Abigail into their house.   
  
"I wonder which houses those sisters are going to be sorted into," said Harry.  
  
"I hope they're both going to be in Gryffindor," said Ron.  
  
"They don't have to be in the same house," stated Hermione. "Parvarti and Padma are sisters, but they're in different houses."  
  
"By the way, where are they?" asked Ron.  
  
"Ravenclaw!" shouted the Sorting Hat after sorting Gina Greeves.  
  
"I couldn't find them after we were leaving the train," said Harry.  
  
"They were shy," implied Hermione "Everyone is shy on their first day. They probably hid behind some other kids or might have taken another door out."  
  
"But then they would be in the line of 1st years, wouldn't they?" asked Ron.  
  
"Yes, and I don't see any of them," said Harry, peering into the line of 1st years.  
  
"Slytherin!" shouted the Sorting Hat after it sorted Tim Paron.  
  
"Maybe they got lost," suggested Hermione.  
  
"How could they get lost on a train car?" asked Ron.  
  
"It was cluttered with students," said Harry.  
  
"They could have went into the next car," said Hermione. "They could have went all the way to the caboose, out the door and into the grounds. They could be lost out there!"  
  
"But Filch would have found them, wouldn't he?" asked Harry.  
  
"Even so, would you want Filch finding you scurrying around the school yard?" questioned Hermione.  
  
"We should go look for the-"  
  
Suddenly Dumbledore cleared his throat to make his usual beginning-of-the-year announcements.  
  
"Another gracious year has begun, one with amusement for all ages, new beginnings, discoveries, reliving and meeting old things and finding new things, learning the spectacular arts of magic, and all of this in our grand old school we call Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For our 1st years, it will be a year of discovery of yourselves and of a whole new world waiting for you. For our 7th years, it will be a year of preparation and goodbyes, to get you ready for another whole new world, waiting for you.  
  
"To remind you all the school rules, the Forbidden Forest is strictly unauthorized for any students here, for there are many dangers lurking there. Our caretaker Mr. Argus Filch would like to remind you all, that there is to be no magic in the corridors between classes. Quidditch try-outs will be scheduled soon enough when the house captains decide when to hold them, though anyone who is interested in trying out should verify their house captain and Madame Hooche first.  
  
"But even more spectacular this year, better than discoveries, meeting old friends and yes, maybe even better than learning magic (Professor McGonagoll gasped at this point), we now have a wonderful year ahead of us without worry of evil, in other words, Lord Voldemort."  
  
A sudden gasp was heard throughout the Great Hall at the utter of his name. I can't believe some people are still scared to here it, thought Harry. Nonetheless, Dumbledore continued.  
  
"Yes, we have defeated Lord Voldemort successfully this summer in Sicily."  
  
A round of applause filled the Great Hall. Dumbledore grinned in delight at the looks on their faces and once the applauds calmed down, he went on.  
  
"The wizarding world had suffered horribly during the Dark Lord's time in power, and the wizarding world waited and prayed to hear of the results of the war, and what would come of it. The Ministry begs your pardon for keeping you in the dark with no information, but they only did this to assure no information would pass to those on the dark side.   
  
"Alas, I cannot tell the whole entire story of the war, for it is too long and so short a night to say so, and it wouldn't be quite right coming from me. There will be the Daily Prophet tomorrow, and I assure you they will give long explanations for everything."  
  
"Thank goodness!" muttered Ron.  
  
"This war could not have been won with all of those fighting in it, and of course, our two wonderful leaders, which I am sure many know of, though many don't know personally, nor did they know they were a part of the war."  
  
With a long sigh and a twinkle in his eye, Dumbledore told what Harry had longed to find out since he heard of the news.   
  
"Those two wonderful leaders, who are quite young and did a marvelous job,   
  
are the courageous and powerful Princess Glory and Princess Joy, the Royal Highnesses of All Magic."  
  
Rustling and whispers of various different reactions filled the mighty hall. Many of the reactions were gasps of shock, some were confused expressions and whispered questions to fellow students, and some students were excited and giggled with their friends saying such things as, 'I knew it!'. Harry's reaction was one of the few people who were confused. He had never known there had been royalty of the wizarding world, why hadn't anyone told him? Was it them who Hermione was talking about in her letter and on the train? It sounded quite strange to suddenly know you have two Princesses so powerful they defeated Lord Voldemort.   
  
So these were the ones who defeated Voldemort? Two Princesses? He had been ripped of his responsibility by two prissy Princesses? How courageous and powerful were these Princesses? And if they were so powerful, why didn't he know of them? Harry's happiness vanished into despicable and unusual jealousy.   
  
Harry looked over to see Ron and Hermione's faces, who were gasping, giggling and extremely excited, as Hermione was whispering to Ron, 'I had a strong feeling it was them! They weren't at the palace, you know'.  
  
"Many of you know about them, including those who collect Wizard Cards in Chocolate Frogs, though there are still many who have no idea who they are, and there are still many who don't really know them. Because of this, I will let you know a little more about them:  
  
"We do have the Ministry of Magic in each country, but there is a government who controls all Ministries of Magic. It is the Monarchy of Magic. Each monarch is born on Halloween, October 31st. Most monarchs live a thousand years. One can tell if they are a monarch by seeing if they have the shape of stars in their eyes. They are only crowned King or Queen once they are 18 years of age.   
  
"There is no royal family, they just appear. The Monarch is a very powerful witch or wizard. They are 10 times stronger and smarter than a wizard their age. There are so far only 3 wizards that have served as Wizard Monarchs. The Wizard Monarch comes from a line of great wizards, like these Princesses.   
  
"These Princesses are sisters, fraternal twins to be exact. Since they are twins, they will rule together. They live at their wonderful palace in Rome, Italy. You will find this very surprising, but these Royals are my great-great-great granddaughters."  
  
Everyone's jaws dropped in awe. They never knew Professor Dumbledore had children, they didn't know he was also related to royalty. Someone from Hufflepuff fainted from the shock.  
  
"Yes, it might seem shocking. For those of you who don't know who my wife was, I will tell you. The Gryffindors probably know the painting that leads to the Gryffindor common room has a lady in pink. That was my wife."  
  
They were in awe again.   
  
"Yes, she died about 20 years ago, bless her soul. Well, as Headmaster of Hogwarts, I am pleased to announce that these two fine young ladies will be attending this school."  
  
Yet again, more gasps and cheers echoed and ringed throughout the Great Hall. It's as if these people worship them, thought Harry angrily to himself. He couldn't believe what he was thinking: these two girls killed Lord Voldemort and they seemed like extraordinary people. Was he really that jealous of them? He knew how it was like to be famous, and he didn't really like it at all. It was just all those people cheering... and practically worshipping them.... it disgusted him...  
  
"Well, I would like you to introduce these lovely ladies. They are in their 6th year. Their father is the Minister for Magic in Italy. Please welcome Their Royal Highnesses Princess Glorificous Elizabeth Tatiana Victoria Nefertiti and Princess Joysinious Mary Anastasia Matilda Cleopatra, Dumbledore-Illiermo."  
  
The doors opened and revealed two 16-year-old girls. They looked rather much like super models (well they were extremely beautiful, but they didn't look anorexic if you know what I mean). One had a straight face with large hazel eyes and short brown hair that was flipped at the ends. She wore a long necklace of diamonds which ended in a large cross incrusted with gold, rubies and pearls, it stuck out very much. She was extremely tall, maybe even 6 feet or so. Harry didn't know if it was her big, black, miniature boots with buckles on them that gave her that height, or that she really was that tall. She surprisingly had very fair skin, you couldn't tell that she was Italian.   
  
The other one looked the opposite. She had a big smile on her face, apparently she was happy to be there. She had long, wavy blonde hair framing her lovely face with big blue eyes, which were quite familiar to Dumbledore`s. She wasn't as tall as her sister, though she wore stiletto shoes on her feet. Unlike her sister, she had a soft tan (and it wasn't as intense as Hermione's). They both had star shapes in their eyes. Harry was extremely surprised they were related to Dumbledore.  
  
They were about to walk to the Sorting Hat but stopped. They looked at the floor and frowned confusingly.   
  
"Where's the red carpet?" demanded the tall one with an astonishingly British accent.  
  
Right behind them came Filch holding a rolled-up red carpet. He looked fumbly and shy.  
  
"Sorry, Your Royal Highnesses!" said Filch as he bowed. "Here it is."  
  
He quickly flipped it open and let it roll all the way to the front. They walked to the stool where the Sorting Hat was laid.   
  
"First up, Princess Joy!" declared the Sorting Hat.  
  
The blonde and cheery Princess Joy was the first one to put on the Sorting Hat. She smiled and giggled while she put it on.  
  
"Hmm... A great mind! Great heart! But I know where she's ought to be.... Gryffindor!"   
  
The whole Gryffindor table clapped and cheered. Maybe they're not as bad as I thought, thought Harry. He hoped she was friendly and not a show-off. He just couldn't stop thinking of Maria and Rosa.   
  
"Where are they?" he said to himself.  
  
Princess Joy walked to the table and sat right beside Harry.  
  
"Princess Joysinious!" shouted Ron as he shook her hand and bowed. "I'm so glad to meet you! I have all your Wizard Cards framed!"  
  
"Hello, Ron, Hermione and Harry!" said Princess Joy in a British accent as well, with a large smile. "Don't worry, you don't have to call me Princess. Just call me Joy."  
  
"You know our names?" gasped Hermione. "Wow! I guess it is true that you have great psychic abilities!"  
  
"That is true, but you already told me your names. Remember on the train?"  
  
"No," they all said slowly.  
  
"Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you. I'm Maria!"  
  
"You're Maria?" asked Ron.  
  
"Yep, I can change how I look! I'm a Metamorphmagus. Watch this!"  
  
She stood up and took out her wand. She blinked her eyes and magically they turned brown. She also slid her palms down her hair and it also magically turned firy red. She clapped her heels which made her become taller. She scrunched all her hair into a ball and amazingly it became a bun. Then he waved her wand around her and she was back to normal.   
  
"Cool, isn't it?" she said as she sat back down.  
  
"Bloody brilliant!" said Ron.  
  
"I love red hair. I would have liked to be a red-head, it's just that I'm so attached to my blonde hair, you know?"  
  
She winked at Ron, who immediately turned bright red.  
  
"Wait a minute!" said Hermione. "How did you hide the stars in your eyes?"  
  
"Oh, it's this ancient spell that the other Monarchs of Magic used."  
  
"Now, it is Princess Glory's turn!" declared the Sorting Hat.  
  
Princess Glory, the tall brunette, put the hat on her head with a little grin. The Sorting Hat thought for a while.  
  
"Hmm...Now let's see which house you will be in...." said the Sorting Hat.  
  
"Of course," said Princess Glory. "You are so wonderful at sorting students. I wouldn't have been sorted by any other hat. And might I add that was a masterpiece of a song you wrote this year!"  
  
For the first time in his life, Harry saw the Sorting Hat (actually any hat) blush.  
  
"Why thank you, Princess Glory!" thanked the Sorting Hat greatly. "No student has commented on my songs and sorting in years! Now, let's see where you are...hmm....I know! Gry- No, she's not quite that sort. Maybe Slytherin...."  
  
At the table, Harry saw Professor Snape smile as soon as the Sorting Hat said Slytherin.  
  
"...or maybe something else...which one.. Ravenclaw would be great....Now which one? Ravenclaw or Slytherin? I know! Ravenclaw!"  
  
Ravenclaw jumped for joy while Hufflepuff and Slytherin were practically crying. Harry saw Snape scowling immensely (worse than when he scowled at Harry).  
  
Princess Glory walked over to her table right next to a bunch of girls waving their hands.  
  
"Typical!" said Joy in a frustrated tone. "Just typical of her!"  
  
"What's so typical of her?" asked Harry.  
  
"She always does compliments like that to get people to like her. She just can't be happy and perky to make others happy!"  
  
"Did she lie then?" asked Ron.  
  
"No, she doesn't lie. She actually means it, I think. Ah, who knows! But it's the way my twin sucks up is what makes me angry!"  
  
"Dumbledore told us you were twins," said Ron.   
  
"Yes, we're fraternal. But we're very different. I want to make as many friends as I can. She has a small bunch of friends that she loves to hang around with, but instead of actually having 'friends' she has 'allies', people that she's friendly with so when we're Queens we'll have allies to help us out! I keep on telling her that we have two full years before we become monarchs. She always takes things so seriously and doesn't take time to relax. Look, Harry! My sister's staring at you!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
He turned around. Princess Glory was staring at him. She smiled and waved at him. He did the same back.  
  
"Oh, she's hanging around those girls. I know who they are," said Hermione. "I always see them in the library. They're 4 of the top students from our year in Ravenclaw. Their names are Ruth Simmore, Vicky Phlumer, Tiffany Sealious and Lucy Landerville. They're always studying about you two, especially Princess Glory. They practically worship her. They want to be on her Privy Council. Actually, they're really nice girls."  
  
"I wonder if she'll be friends with Cho Chang," pondered Harry.  
  
"Cho Chang? Who's Cho Chang?" asked Joy.  
  
"Cho Chang is this girl in Ravenclaw who's the seeker for their team."  
  
Joy looked at Harry with a suspicious look. Somehow Harry knew that she knew he liked Cho.  
  
"I don't think so. She hates sports. She hates Quidditch with a passion. Bludgers are attracted to her, you see. They hit her whenever she goes to a game of Quidditch. The only sport she really likes is dueling."  
  
"Dueling?" said Harry. "Oh, I've tried that before. It's not for me."  
  
"Well, she's fantastic at it. She won 1st place for the International Dueling Championships 5 times in a row! Most of the wizards and witches she duels are twice her age!"  
  
"But she's probably twice their size!" said Ron.  
  
"Maybe it's those shoes she wears that makes her so tall," suggested Hermione.  
  
"Actually," said Joy, "those shoes just make her taller. She's very tall. I wear these high heels because I need to. I'm a little bit short. Anyway, I'm good at dueling but not perfect. She's the smart, serious, dueling, never-break-the-rules-in-her life one and I'm the sweet, fun, perky, smart-but-doesn't-boast-about-it, friendly one."  
  
"Hey look!" shouted Ron. "She's talking to Malfoy!"  
  
They all looked around to see Malfoy was flirting with Princess Glory.  
  
"I can't believe it!" shouted Joy. "I've seen that creep on the train with his big friends. They're bullies!"  
  
"Tell me about it!" said Ron.  
  
"So, can you tell us about that war with Lord Voldemort?" asked Hermione. "I'm dying to know!"  
  
"Well, I don't really want to. You're going to learn about it in Charms this week."  
  
"You're obviously taking Charms for your NEWT classes, right?" asked Ron.  
  
"Actually, I'm taking all the classes, except for Astronomy, Muggle Studies and things like that," said Joy.  
  
"You aren't? Why not?"  
  
"Well, the schooling is a little bit different in Italy. You see, in England and in many other countries you go to wizard school at 11 years old. We, in Italy, actually start at 7 years old. From 7-10 years old, we go to an elementary wizard school. We learn all the wizard subjects that don't actually include doing magic such as History of Magic, Astronomy, Muggle Studies, things like that. Nono Albus, that's what I call Professor Dumebledore, Nono means Grandpa, is letting us skip those classes. But my sister and I are going to talk about the war in History of Magic."  
  
"You're lucky," said Ron. "That's the most boring class ever!"  
  
"What classes are you taking?" asked Joy.  
  
"I'm taking Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, Divinations, Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I want to be an Auror. But seriously, I have no idea how I got an O in Potions. The O.W.L.s for Potions weren't so bad though. I guess the reason why I wasn't doing great in Potions was Snape."  
  
"I hear you!" agreed Harry.  
  
"And you, Harry?"  
  
"The same subjects as Ron," said Harry. "I want to be an Auror too, although maybe after a few years I could be a teacher at Hogwarts. I could teach Transfiguration or Defense Against the Dark Arts. I taught a bit of it last year, and it was so fun."  
  
"Harry, you know that that job is seriously jinxed!" said Ron.  
  
"I know, but it might not jinx me. Teaching that subject is fun."  
  
"And you, Hermione?" asked Joy.  
  
"I want to be a lawyer in the wizarding world, but I'm still going to take all the subjects I already have."  
  
"You're absolutely mad," commented Ron bluntly. "Literally, I have no idea why they haven't chucked you into St. Mungo's yet."   
  
"Well, I guess we shouldn't let this food get cold," said Joy. "Let's dig in!"   
  
They all ate until their hearts were content. Half-way through eating, Harry looked at Princess Glory and was shocked to see her eat a whole turkey.  
  
"Wow! Does your sister eat a lot or what?!" shouted Harry. "She just ate a whole turkey!"  
  
"Yes, she's like that. She has a high metabolism. She eats so much. I'm surprised she's not chubby at all. Others would be over-weight!"  
  
Right after she spoke her sister had eaten a whole bowl of mashed potatoes.  
  
They turned around and kept on eating. Hermione and Ron left early. Once the plates were clean, the headmaster cleared his throat again.  
  
"I dismiss you all to your dormitories," declared Professor Dumbledore. "Although I would like to speak to Harry Potter in my office."  
  
Harry was just about to stand up when he heard his name being called. Why did Dumbledore want him in his office? Was it about the war? As everyone left to their dormitories, Harry, and surprisingly Joy, were left behind.  
  
"Do you want me to go with you?" asked Joy. "You know, as a new friend and everything. I wouldn't want you to go alone, wouldn't want you to be lonely."  
  
"Thanks," said Harry, realizing how nice she really was. "You can come with me."  
  
"Great, it'll help me get to know my way around."  
  
Princess Joy and Harry stood up from their seats and walked out of the Great Hall to Dumbledore's office. Harry pointed out a few of the classes on their way there.   
  
After a while, they finally got to the ugly gargoyle statue in front of the entrance.  
  
"Here it is," sighed Harry, pointing to the entrance.   
  
"This is it? Wow, it's neat. I finally get to see Nono Albus' office. I'll wait out here if you want."  
  
"That'll be great," said Harry.  
  
"Oh, and Harry?" asked Joy.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Before you go in, I wanted to talk to you," said Joy. "I know about the Prophecy, and I kind of expected you to be pretty angry."  
  
"It's like you know everything," sighed Harry.  
  
"Believe me, I don't!" said Joy. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't still mad at me."  
  
"I'm not mad at you," denied Harry.  
  
"I know you're a bit. Harry, I never chose to fight in the war, neither did I want to. You were the one who should have destroyed him, not my sister and I. I think that's what Nono Albus will tell you in there."  
  
"Thanks," said Harry, who really appreciated what Joy had said. The anger he felt towards her and her sister began to fade quickly.  
  
"And about that stuff that Nono Albus said about us. He made us seem so great and perfect in his speech, but we're not, although my sister tries to be perfect. She's a perfectionist, you see. I've got flaws, you know, including being a procrastinator. I'm trying not to do this this year, since it's my NEWT year and everything. Plus, I'm short, and I'm really concerned about my looks, I can get too perky, and and..."  
  
"Joy, you don't need to tell me all your flaws," said Harry. "I get the point."  
  
"Sorry, I just wanted to let you know that we're not perfect. They make us seem so powerful and smart, but I barely use those talents, well, maybe sometimes. I do great in my classes and that's all I need to do. I'm great at academics, but I'm not the type who adores school, a know-it-all or even freaky about homework."  
  
"You're the opposite of Hermione," chuckled Harry. "But I get it. Thanks for telling me that, some people would like to let people think they're perfect."  
  
"No ones perfect, Harry," sighed Joy. "Including me. And that red carpet incident? It's not like we're spoiled, it's just weird not to have an entrance without a red carpet. It's always been like that with us. I just felt weird about it, I don't know why my sister made a big deal. She's been acting strange since the war ended. Oh gee, I think you should go see Nono now."  
  
"Okay- Wait, what's the password?"  
  
"It's 'pumpkin crisps'," stated Joy. "He told us before we came here. He's starting to really like them."  
  
"Okay," said Harry, as he turned to the statue. "Pumpkin crisps."  
  
Suddenly, the gargoyle sprang to life and moved aside, and behind it the walls split open to reveal a spiraling staircase. Harry waved goodbye to Joy and hopped onto the spiraling staircase, which took him up to the door that lead to Dumbledore's office. He knocked on the door a couple of times.  
  
"You may enter," said Dumbledore.  
  
Harry slowly opened the door and stepped into the room. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, reading a letter. He looked up and gave Harry a greeting smile.  
  
"Mr. Potter, good evening," greeted Professor Dumbledore "Would you care to sit down?"  
  
Harry walked over to Dumbledore's desk and sat on the chest across from him.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore," started Harry, "why exactly did you bring me here?"  
  
"It was concerning the war," answered Dumbledore. "I remember telling you the Prophecy, and I wanted to explain to you why we planned not to follow it."  
  
Finally, I'll get to find out, said Harry as he sat back to listen.  
  
"When you heard about the war in Sicily, you may have questioned the Prophecy and thought if it was right, that you were the one who could only kill Lord Voldemort. Yes, Mr. Potter, it is only you."  
  
"If it was only me who could defeat him, why did Princesses Joy and Glory try and defeat him?"  
  
"Harry, do you know why there was a war? The reason for it?" he asked Harry.  
  
"It was to destroy Lord Voldemort," said Harry.  
  
"Actually, we didn't fight the war to destroy him," said Dumbledore. "We fought to destroy his army, and to keep him from destroying the Princesses and a world power. Harry, those two girls are one of the most powerful witches in the world, and are two massive threats to Lord Voldemort. He knew that he could only be destroyed by you, so it seemed obvious to him he could stand a chance against the two. We weren't sure that we could destroy him. Everyone else thought he could be destroyed with a large and powerful army with two powerful witches leading them. I tried telling them about the Prophecy, but they didn't believe me. After a while, I thought it could be possible, that maybe, Lord Voldemort could be destroyed. I thought, that the Prophecy meant the one person who could defeat him was you. Maybe very many powerful people at one time could defeat him."  
  
"So, I was still technically the only one person to stop him, right?"  
  
"Of course, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Don't feel sad, Harry. As long as he's gone, we'll all be all right. Besides, that Prophecy revealed that you still had something that could destroy Voldemort, and even though he's gone, you still have that secret power in you. No matter who killed him, Harry, you are still the boy who lived."  
  
"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," said Harry.  
  
"That is quite all I wanted to tell you," said Dumbledore. "I wanted to confirm that. You may leave now."  
  
"Thank you," said Harry as he stood up and left his office and went down the spiraling stairs to meet Joy.  
  
"So?" asked Joy. "What did he tell you?"  
  
"About the war," said Harry.   
  
"I knew he would," said Joy with a smile. "It's getting late, we better get to our dormitories."  
  
Harry and Joy walked all the way to the common room, where the Head Boy waiting in the corridors told them that the password would be "dragonus firinus". They found the painting of the fat lady a few minutes after.  
  
"Nona!" exclaimed Princess Joy.  
  
"Joy! I am SO glad to see you! Finally, after all these years of waiting! Do come in! Don't worry about the password."  
  
They entered the common room and saw a few of the Prefects still up in the common room, including Ron and Hermione. Harry was surprised to see red leather couches.   
  
"Nono Albus put leather couches in the common room to make us feel at home," said Joy to Harry.  
  
"Harry! Joy!" said Hermione as she rushed over to them, with Ron following her. "Finally, you're here!"  
  
"Why were you two late?" asked Ron.  
  
"Nono Albus wanted to speak to him," confirmed Joy. "He wanted to clear some things up about the war. Well, I think I should put my luggage in my room. I'm getting my own room. It has luxurious furniture, bathroom and things like that. I told the Professors it was all right, but they insisted."  
  
"You're going to bed now?" questioned Ron.   
  
"Of course! It's a school night, and I need to get my beauty sleep."  
  
As Ron sighed, Joy took out a belonging carrier box out of her pocket.  
  
"I have one of those!" said Harry.  
  
"Really? You have a BCB? I didn't know."  
  
"It's called a BCB?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yeah, the name was shortened. The word 'belonging carrier box' was too long."  
  
"Wow. That's wicked!"  
  
"My sister and I invented it, you know."  
  
"Really?!?"  
  
"Oh yeah! We invent a whole bunch of things. We're also trying to perfect  
  
the potion that keeps werewolves sane during the full moon."  
  
"We used to have a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that was a werewolf. Speaking of Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, who's going to be our teacher this year?"  
  
"I don't know, but we'll probably find out tomorrow. Anyway, I'm going to go to sleep. Good night!" she said as she went up to her luxurious room. Harry stayed in the common room with Hermione and Ron until all the younger students were in bed. Then all of them went up to their dormitories.   
  
As Ron quickly put on his pajamas, flopped onto his bed and immediately fell asleep, Harry put on his night wear, and then went to the window and stared out into the night sky.  
  
"What a beautiful night," he mumbled to himself.  
  
As he stared out the window, he saw a peculiar dot moving in the sky. What could it be? he thought, but quickly ignored it. He was too tired to think of the explanation. He thought how lucky he was to be back at school again. He suddenly wondered if Sirius, who had went to school with his father, had felt like this. He spotted at his open luggage on the floor, with the box of Sirius laying there. Oh, Sirius...   
  
He tucked himself in his four-poster beds, and with the awful memory of his godfather's death, cried himself to sleep.   
  
Another disclaimer: Princesses Joy and Glory are my own characters, though I was inspired by the name 'Glory' by the goddess Glory from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer character gave me an idea about their powers.   
  
Author's Note: Thanks a bunch for reading! PLEAAAASSSEEEE REVIEEEEEWWWWW!!!!! And next chapter: we find out what really happened during that war, we learn more about the princesses, and we are introduced to the new DADA teacher! (it's actually kinda funny who it is. i bet you that you know this person, he's VERY famous in the Muggle World!). 


	6. The Defense Against the Dark Arts Teache...

Harry Potter and the Princesses for Magic  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I also don't really own another character, but I can't say who that character is because it'll ruin the surprise. Trust me, you'll never have guessed!!!!  
  
Author's Note: Hey readers!!! I'm so happy you've gotten this far reading my stuff. As said before, I'm happy about EVERY REVIEW I GET!! SOOOO REVIEWWWW!!!!!!!! Anyway, we know that now in the school are Princesses Joy and Glory, Dumbledore's great-great-great-granddaughters. Oh, and Voldemort's dead. But just because Voldemort's dead, doesn't mean trouble's gone from Harry's life. DUndundaaaaa!!!!! In this chapter, Harry goes through his first day at Hogwarts AND the DADA teacher is revealed! Sorry I took so long to put up the new chapter: I've had a lot of stuff to do. NOW ENJOY!!!  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher  
  
Revealed  
  
Harry woke up from a sad and sorrowful night as he wiped his wet face on the sleeve of his pajama-top. Harry got up and looked out the window; another beautiful day was upon him. He was quite eager to go downstairs, wanting to finally find out who the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was going to be and what happened during the war.   
  
He was the first one in his dormitory to rush downstairs for breakfast. He had gotten himself ready, packed his bag of books and school supplies and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. There weren't many people in the Great Hall at that moment. He saw Princess Glory who was reading a book and surprisingly not eating very much, and was biting her fingernails just like on the train.   
  
I guess that wasn't an act she did on the train of her being a nervous wreck, thought Harry. He ate his breakfast slowly and waited for his friends to come down. During that time, he saw Princess Glory's group enter the Great Hall and meet Princess Glory at the Ravenclaw table. She greeted them, but then sped off to the washroom. To Harry, it looked like she needed to barf.   
  
After about half an hour, the majority of the students were in the Great Hall. Ron, Hermione and Joy had finally come down and sat next to Harry at the Gryffindor table (Princess Joy had put her hair in a long braid and was wearing pink diamond-stud earrings).  
  
"Good morning, Harry!" said Joy cheerfully.   
  
"Good morning," said Harry back. "Uh... Joy? I think your sister barfed before."  
  
"Oh dear," she sighed. "She's acting up again. She's very tense and nervous, and when she gets nervous, she usually squeezes her hands, bites her nails and eventually throws up."  
  
"I feel sorry for her," said Hermione. "I once had a bad stomach flu and I had to vomit every time I felt tense too. It must be awful!"  
  
Before his friends even touched their food, they all heard a loud flapping sound. Harry had first thought it could have been the owls bringing them their mail, but it owl post didn't sound at all like that. The sound of owls fluttering their wings was a fluttery, gentle and numerous noise. This noise sounded like one pair of giant flapping wings. Suddenly, a huge hippogryph baring a crest and carrying a large leather pouch full of mail had flown through a window and landed right next to Princess Joy. Every single pair of eyes were turned to the large creature halted at Joy's side with fear and amazement (and a bit of confusion, of course, it's not every day you see a hippogryph fly into a large room).   
  
"Well hello, Buttercup!" greeted Princess Joy to the hippogryph, not paying attention to all the eyes on her and the creature. "What do you have for me today?"  
  
The hippogryph looked down at the pouch full of letters. She gently took them out of the pouch and laid them near her plate.  
  
"Good hippogryph! Now, go to your stable. There's a big bowl of food waiting for you!"  
  
The hippogryph leaped and took off. While it was flying out (as Harry and his friends, and basically everyone else in the Great Hall stared dumbfounded at the scene), another strange creature came in the Great Hall through a large opening near the ceiling. It was an enormous lion (as big as a hippogryph) with giant feathered, eagle/hippogryph-like wings and golden-coloured mane carrying a pouch like Princess Joy's pet and was wearing a crest as well. The creature landed near Princess Glory at the Ravenclaw table.  
  
"What is that?" demanded Ron, who looked as if he had a million questions he wanted to have answered (actually, about everyone in the Great Hall looked that way).  
  
"That's my sister's pet," stated Joy. "I have a hippogryph for my Hogwarts pet. My sister has a hippigryph for a Hogwarts pet. That's what her creature is called: a hippigryph. Its name is Tsarina."  
  
"Tsarina, isn't that a female name?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Yes, Tsarina's a female."  
  
"But why does she have mane?"  
  
"Oh, all hippigryphs have mane. If it has golden hair like that, then its a female. If it has chestnut hair, then its a male."  
  
"Nice pets," said Harry, who was quite surprised that they were 'pets'. "Where'd you get them?"  
  
"Nono Albus gave those pets to us on our 5th birthdays."  
  
"You're allowed to have those for Hogwarts pets?"  
  
"Of course! They're completely tame! They would never hurt someone, unless they were evil or bad."  
  
"That means Snape and Malfoy will be attacked soon," remarked Ron.  
  
"Let's see what I have for mail today," said Joy as she flipped through her mail. "Documents, documents, bills, letter from relatives, letter from parents and the Daily Prophet."  
  
"Oh, I cannot wait to read all the articles about the war!" stated Hermione excitedly.  
  
"I hear you!" said Ron.  
  
"You mean you don't want to hear it from my sister and I first?" asked Joy. "I wanted you to hear it from me before you went off reading rumours."  
  
"Then of course we won't read it then!" said Ron obeyingly. "If you want us to hear it from you, then so be it!"  
  
By the sound of Ron's voice and how he immediately responded, it sounded as if he really liked Joy. Well that's obvious, thought Harry, who remembered yesterday at every reaction he gave to Joy.   
  
"So Hermione, are you still going to read the Daily Prophet?" asked Joy.  
  
"I think I'll read it," said Hermione, "just to be able to clarify rumours and such, and to ask more specific questions."  
  
"All right," said Joy. "And you, Harry?"  
  
"Actually I was waiting all summer for this-"  
  
"You mean, you're going to read it?"  
  
"Well-"  
  
Harry paused in thought. He really didn't want to hurt Joy's feelings, though he really wanted to hear about the war. He was dying to know! But he also knew about the rumours the Daily Prophet wrote.... Then he saw the look on Ron's face, as if telling Harry to do what he had done.  
  
"Fine," said Harry. "I won't read it. It's not like the paper'll be going anywhere."  
  
"Oh thank you, Harry!" said Joy, as she gave him a big hug (which made Ron a bit jealous). "I really wanted to get your first impressions on everything."  
  
"No problem," said Harry.  
  
"Hmm... I wonder what's in the news today, other than the war."  
  
Joy quickly skipped half of the newspaper and when she finally got to the pages NOT talking about the war, she skimmed through it quickly, but later her eyes were glued to this one article.  
  
"What is it?" asked Harry.  
  
"It says here a hypnotist was kidnapped," said Joy, not taking her eyes off the article. "He was a very famous one. That's strange."  
  
"Oh look, there's Professor Dumbledore," stated Hermione.  
  
Professor Dumebledore stood up from the head table, cleared his throat and started speaking.  
  
"Good morning, everyone!" said Professor Dumebledore. "This is the first full day of classes this year. Yes, I know you are wondering who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is. Some of you may be surprised.   
  
"I also suppose you know that my beautiful great-great-great-granddaughters have come here all the way from Italy, and that maybe you have met one of them so far."  
  
He smiled at Princesses Joy and Glory and they smiled back (Joy with a huge smile and Glory with a small grin of course). Afterwards, he continued.  
  
"However, they are not the only ones that have come here from a foreign country. Actually, they are not the only ones from Italy. Our new staff member is also from Italy. I would like you to meet our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Luigi!"  
  
"Professor what?" questioned Harry.  
  
Out the door came a tall Italian man with a big mustache and green cloak. Harry knew who he was: he was Luigi from the Mario Brothers.  
  
"I know that guy!" said Harry to Ron. "He's the brother of Mario in those Nintendo games!"  
  
"Nintendo games? What are you talking about?" asked Ron suspiciously. "He does have a brother name Mario, but they're both very, very famous Aurors from Italy. They're not from any Mindendo games."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're both right," said Princess Joy. "He's an Auror in Italy, and he's the Deputy Headmaster of my old school. His brother and him run the school. He's also a Muggle video game. Once they got trapped in the Muggle Italy because a monster went into their world. They both saved a group of Muggles and those Muggles decided to make a video game after them."  
  
"That's awesome!" said Ron. "But what are video games?"  
  
Ron's question was left unanswered, as Professor Luigi went up to the front and bowed.  
  
"Buongiorno! Buongiorno to you all!" he said happily and proudly. "I am very happy to be at Hogwarts. Some of you may know me as the Deputy Headmaster for Nero Gatto Catholic Academy for Witches and Wizards. Some of you may know me as a very, very famous Auror in Italy. Some of you may even know me as one of the Mario Brothers in the Nintendo video game. No matter how you know me, I welcome you all into my classroom and I wish you all a good day! Oh, and because I am so happy to be here, Italian sausages for everyone!"  
  
Professor Luigi waved his wand and magically plates of sausages appeared on each of the tables. Everyone cheered as they started gobbling up the food.  
  
"I'm going to hang out with some other people in this house," stated Joy as she started to get up from the table. "I'd like to meet everyone. Is that okay with you all?"  
  
"Of course!" said Ron right before he stuffed a sausage in his mouth.  
  
Princess Joy quickly left her spot and went to go sit with Lavendar and Pavarti. Just as she sat down, Princess Glory came over to the Gryffindor table with a large book in her hand.   
  
"Hello, Harry, Ron and Hermione," she said nicely. "Having a good breakfast?"  
  
"Oy, you bet we are!" said Ron. "You people really know how to make good sausages!"  
  
"That's good to know," said Princess Glory with a smile. "By the way, where's my sister?"   
  
"She's making friends with some of the other Gryffindor students," stated Harry.  
  
"Well, I just wanted to drop off my book of Hogwarts, a History Volume 2 to Hermione. Here it is," she said as she handed the large book to Hermione.  
  
"Thank you so much!" said Hermione thrillingly as she clutched the book tightly. "You're too kind!"  
  
"Oh, don't mention it. I do wish more people would read that book. I guess I'll meet you in one or more of my classes."   
  
Harry looked at Princess Glory. There was just something about her eyes, how she looked, how she acted or how she spoke that reminded him so much of Professor Dumbledore. He thought it rather odd, but of course she was his great-great-great granddaughter.  
  
"Goodbye, Glory!" said Ron.  
  
Princess Glory, who was just about to leave, turned around in a confused look.  
  
"What did you say?" she questioned.  
  
"I-I said 'Goodbye, Glory'," stated Ron nervously.  
  
"Ron, do you call Professor Dumbledore, 'Albus'?"  
  
"N-no..."  
  
"And do you call the Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, 'Corey'?"  
  
"N-n-no..."  
  
"Well, I don't mean to be rude, but I would like you to respect my title," she implied angrily. "You may call me 'Your Royal Highness', 'Princess Glory' or just 'Princess'. The shortest I will go for a name is 'Glory' or 'PG', which are my nick-names, but only extremely close people call me that name, got that? Well, I must be off."   
  
'Princess' Glory quickly headed back to the Ravenclaw table. How rude can you get? thought Harry. She had seemed so much like Dumbledore before, but then the personality of Dumbledore vanished from her face into... into something else....  
  
They continued eating until they were extremely full. Seamus Finnigan was coming around giving everyone their schedule.  
  
"Here are your schedules, everyone!" he said as he passed them down.  
  
"Harry, look!" pointed out Ron to Harry. "We're having Potions with the Ravenclaws. No Slytherins! Which means no Malfoy!"  
  
"All right, Ron!" said Harry happily as he glared at his schedule. "Let's see what we have right now....double Charms. Hold on, I hear fluttering sounds."  
  
"Owl post!"  
  
A gigantic crowd of owls dropped parcels on the tables. Hedwig and Pig, Ron's fluffy little owl, dropped off their mail. Once that was done, Pig was hooting and dancing around Ron until Ron threatened it for it to calm down.   
  
They packed their bags and headed to the Charms classroom where they were joined by the Ravenclaws. Once they had settled into their seats, Professor Flitwick, who was glowing in excitement, cleared his throat (which sounded like a squeak), issuing them all to be silent. Professor Flitwick was a tiny wizard who usually had to stand on a pile of books so everyone could see him.  
  
"Good morning, everyone, and welcome to your first day, first class and first NEWTs class of the school year!" squeaked Professor Flitwick in a tiny grin. "Today we will be learning about Defensive-Orb Charms, which create a circular orb around yourself, repelling any hexes or bad charms from you, although it won't work with Unforgivable Curses unfortunately."  
  
"If it could have worked for Unforgivable Curses, my parents, Sirius and many others could have avoided death," Harry muttered to himself, thinking about his godfather's horrible death.   
  
"Lucky for you, we are not going to do those spells all double periods," said Professor Flitwick. "For the first period, we will be listening to the story about the recent war in Sicily. We are so lucky at Hogwarts to have two wonderful witches attending, and especially in the NEWT classes. How brave they were in that war! Now, here with us are the leaders who fought You-Know-Who, Princess Glory and Princess Joy!"  
  
'Princess' Glory and Joy came through the door as everyone cheered and clapped."Yes, yes, yes. Good morning, girls. I'm just so happy to have you in my class!" he said, as if he was a teenage-girl meeting a famous rock band. "How courageous you were to defeat You-Know-Who. Don't be shy to leave out any details. Believe me, this is better than seeing the Weird Sisters perform!"  
  
Professor Flitwick sat on his pile of books in thrill, as Princess Joy and Princess Glory smiled at him adoringly. They quickly got to what they had to do: talking about the war. Joy let out a very long sigh as if depressed. Princess Glory cleared her throat and started talking.  
  
"It all started at the end of May of this year," said Princess Glory. "I was in my Charms class learning about hexing gnomes when suddenly I had this vision of Lord Volde-"  
  
"E-excuse m-me," interrupted Seamus Finnigan shyly . "I don't mean to be rude, Your Royal Highness, but most of us do not like to speak You-Know-Who's name or hear it."  
  
"Very well. I had a vision of 'You-Know-Who` getting his followers and heading towards Sicily for battle in the beginning of July," restarted Princess Glory. "I pictured it just as if someone had played a film in my head. I knew this was something to be serious about so I went down to the Headmster's office, who is Professor Mario, and I told him about my vision. Wizard Kings and Queens have very strong psychic abilities, and they have visions time to time. Professor Mario called down my sister and we started talking about my vision, that You-Know-Who wanted to have a surprise attack on us. We contacted the Ministry of Magic and got our armies ready for battle."  
  
"The best soldiers and armies in the world were brought to Italy from all different parts of the globe," continued Princess Joy in a tense tone. "We trained them all as hard as we could to face that evil Dark Lord. On July the 10th, our armies were ready for battle all around the border. Guards were put everywhere around Italy. At 5:00 p.m., the war began. You-Know-Who apparated with his army into Sicily. They were very surprised that we knew. It is then that we started battling. At first it was as if neither side would win, but after two weeks, we were winning."  
  
"It was a long battle," continued Princess Glory. "It took almost 2 months to defeat them. By August 20th, more than 3 quarters of You-Know-Who's army was defeated. The rest of his army was badly hurt. They were fools to keep on fighting. At 8:00 a.m. on August 29th, we were both face-to-face with You-Know-Who. I dueled the Dark Lord for an endless hour. Because of my tiredness, one of my spells backfired on me so I apparated myself to a hospital wing. Once I was gone, my sister battled, cursed and dueled You-Know-Who. He was getting extremely weak. When he wasn't expecting it, I went behind him with my sword and cut off his head."  
  
A few people gasped at this, and Professor Flitwick almost fainted off his pile of books.   
  
"His dead body looked pretty weird," she said. "Some kind of smoke was raising from it. I read that it kind of happens to Dark wizards..... or maybe not..... I'm not too sure. I'll show you the sword I used."  
  
Princess Glory pulled out a BCB, pushed a couple of buttons and out beamed a beautiful golden sword that left everyone in awe. Its shiny blade glistened with the morning sun's rays through the window of the room, as its small engravings around the part of the blade that was near the handle sparkled. The handle was made of pure gold, which was carved magnificently for decoration. Its rim was full of diamonds, and it also had two gigantic diamonds and one ruby on its handle. Also carved on the handle, was an engraved decoration of a large owl with its wide wings spread across.   
  
No one in the room could take their eyes off it, for they had never seen, or even imagined, such a beautiful sword in their life.   
  
"Once he was dead," explained Princess Glory, "we put the rest of You-Know-Who's army in Azkaban and healed the injured soldiers on our side. After, we went to our palace and had a gigantic celebration. Though our celebration was not only for celebrating our victory, but also for honouring the many poor souls who died. We put up a memorial for them the next day. There was a special ceremony for them as well. Many were injured, but not as many as the other side. The news spread all over the world. The next day we packed up everything and headed to the Hogwarts Express. We changed our appearances because we didn't want to have a lot of hassle.  
  
"Well... I guess that's it. Any questions?"  
  
The moment the question was spoken, almost all hands were up (even Professor Flitwick's!).  
  
"Let me see..." said Princess Joy. "How about you? What's your name?""  
  
"Seamus Finnigan," said Seamus timidly.  
  
"Well Seamus, what's your question?"  
  
"Er- my question was if you were scared when you found out about You-Know-Who."  
  
"As a matter of fact, I was extremely scared at first," responded Joy. "I thought it would be my death day. Actually, we both would have thought we would die if it wasn't for the Ministries having so much confidence that we would win. But then I thought of those poor souls he killed, and I suddenly had the courage because I knew he had to be stopped."  
  
"I on the other hand was also scared," answered Princess Glory. "I was extremely nervous. I threw up the whole entire day. After I thought about it, I thought of those brave souls who had the gut to go against him. I also thought of poor Harry Potter who lost his parents because of that man and had to suffer his whole entire life not knowing his parents. I also thought about those encounters he had with him at Hogwarts. I suddenly had enough courage."  
  
Harry blushed when she said this. He was also flattered such a person would care about him, even someone who wanted to be called 'Princess' all the time.   
  
"Another question?" asked Princess Joy.  
  
Both of them looked around the room at all those who had their hands up.   
  
"Uhm... How about Neville Longbottom?" said Princess Glory.  
  
"Uhmm, thanks," mumbled Neville. "I wanted to know... What was that little box you pulled out?"  
  
"Oh, that was a belonging carrier box, or a BCB. I'll bring it out again," she said as she pulled it out. "You see, we are both a bit of inventors, though I'm actually the one who invents the most (Joy scowled at her for saying that), and this is an example of one of our inventions. You could put anything and as much as you want in it. We've also got some other things."  
  
Professor Flitwick's hand was way up, so Princess Glory finally let him ask a question.  
  
"Yes, Professor Flitwick?"  
  
"This has been on many people's minds and probably a lot of students are asking the same thing," said Professor Flitwick, "why did You-Know-Who battle you?"  
  
"I'm thinking it's because he wanted power over our position so that he could rule all the countries like we were supposed to," responded Princess Glory.   
  
"I heard it was only Dumbledore who could defeat him," said Dean Thomas.  
  
"That's where you're right and wrong. You see, we are Dumbledore! Our last name is Dumbledore so that's why so many people get confused with that. Although technically, there is only one person who could defeat him," said Princess Glory, as she winked at Harry. So the Prophecy was right in a way, he thought to himself. "Even so, there were very many people who thought that that it would be possible to defeat You-Know-Who with an army, and I guess they were right."  
  
Ron slowly raised his hand to ask a question.  
  
"And what's your question, Ron?" asked Princess Joy with a smile (making Ron blush).  
  
"You said you apparated in your speech. Aren't you under-aged to be doing that?"  
  
"That's a good question. In Italy, the apparating age is 14. That's also when you can start doing magic. It's not such a problem in our country because there are no Muggles to catch us doing magic. Any more questions?"  
  
Seamus Finnigan raised up his hand again.  
  
"Yes, Seamus?" asked Princess Glory.  
  
"Did any of your things have You-Know-Who's blood on it?"  
  
Everyone in the room looked repulsed at him, and Professor Flitwick completely tumbled off his stack of books. Joy's eyebrows raised, but Princess Glory looked quite calm.  
  
"Yes, we had some blood on us," answered Princess Glory. "Our swords had the most blood. Everything was cleaned though, except for one of my gloves which was completely covered in blood. I can't clean the blood off, so I can't use it anymore."  
  
Anastasia Wickmin, a Ravenclaw, raised up her hand.  
  
"Yes, what's your question?" asked Princess Joy.  
  
"Uh.. I heard your wands were really nice and out-of-the-ordinary," said Anastasia. "Can you show them to us?"  
  
"Why of course!" said Joy gladly.  
  
Princesses Glory and Joy both took out from their pockets their wands, which were the two most beautiful wands Harry had ever seen. Princess Joy's wand had a golden handle and the upper part was silver, and Princess Glory's was the opposite. They had rubies, diamonds, sapphires and emeralds all over the wand and around the handle was their names engraved. They were works of art, you may say (though no matter how many stones were on the wands, none of them could match the sword).  
  
"They're magnificent!" said Neville in amazement.  
  
"Bloody brilliant!" said Ron.  
  
"They're extremely beautiful," mumbled Harry as he glared at the sparkling gems on their wands.  
  
"Some other questions?" asked Princess Glory.  
  
"I do!" shouted Hermione as she raised her hand like a gun-shot.  
  
"Yes, Hermione," said Princess Glory. "You may ask us a question."   
  
"Thank you, Your Royal Highness," she said in her usual know-it-all tone. "I was just wondering, what are your wands made of?"  
  
"Well," said Princess Glory, "my handle is 10 carrot silver and the rest of my wand is 25 gold carrots. Of course, there are sapphires, emeralds, diamonds and rubies. The interior is made of 3 black unicorn hairs, an owl feather, 4 dragon heart strings, 4 hippigryph hairs, sphinx hair, a boggart bone and 12 drops of Basilisk blood."  
  
The utter of the horrible name of the creature that once terrorized the school during their 2nd year scared them with an icy shrill, and they stared confusingly and shockingly at Princess Glory and her wand. Harry raised his eyebrows too at the mention of the Basilisk's blood.   
  
"Uhm...Your Royal Highness, did you just say Basilisk blood?"  
  
"Yes, it's true what I have said. In Italy just before I received my wand, a giant Basilisk escaped from I think a deep cave somewhere. It took 500 wizards with large mirrors and blindfolds to kill it, to think how difficult that must have been! They put some of the blood in my wand when they were making it. If you're wandering about the Boggart bone, they killed it while it was still in its hiding place. And don't worry about asking me to explain black unicorns, Hagrid will show you them tomorrow."  
  
Everyone stood still in awe as an eerie silence hovered in the room, though Joy broke the silence to get on with the conversation.  
  
"I'll tell you what's in my wand," said Princess Joy quickly. "I have 4 veela hairs, 2 unicorn hairs, 2 hippogryph hairs, 2 phoenix feather, 1 billiwig sting, 4 pixie wings, 2 dragon heartstrings and fairy dust."  
  
"Wow!" said Seamus Finnigan. "I never knew wands could have so many powerful things."  
  
"We need these powerful things," explained Princess Glory. "We need something powerful to handle. If we get a wand that's too weak, it would blow up when we used it."  
  
"Cool! Can I try your wand?"  
  
"Actually...."  
  
"Come on!"  
  
"Fine, okay!" said Princess Glory sarcastically, as if she wasn't going to try and argue. "I'll let you hold it, but don't come crawling back if something bad happens."  
  
Seamus jumped out of his seat with excitement and grabbed the wand as Princess Glory handed it over to him, having the expression as if this was all a big joke. He glared at it with amazement.  
  
"OY! It's heavy! Now let me give it a wave..."  
  
He gave it a tiny wave and right at that moment his body slammed to the wall behind him and he fell to the ground. He was weeping his eyes out, whimpering and wailing as he touched the blood smudged on his back and shoulders.  
  
"I told you so!" said Princess Glory, shaking her head. She pulled him up and took her wand. She gave it a way and did a spell. "Seamus healo!"   
  
Seamus stood up and magically all his pain and blood disappeared. In an amazed smile, he skipped back to his desk.  
  
"I guess this is it!" said Princess Glory.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Ron. "The bell hasn't rung ye-"  
  
Suddenly the bell rang. As the first period finished with the ring of the bell, Professor Flitwick, who was laying on the floor after fainting, jumped from being startled, quickly got up and started his Charms lesson (giving compliments to Princesses Joy and Glory once in a while). During class, Harry asked why Joy looked uncomfortable during her presentation.  
  
"Joy?" asked Harry, as he turned away from practicing his charm and turned to Joy.   
  
"Yes?" said Joy.  
  
"Why were you looking... depressed... and uncomfortable while you were talking about the war?"  
  
"What are you talking about?" asked Joy.  
  
"You looked like you didn't want to be there, and-"  
  
"No I wasn't," denied Joy, as she turned back to doing her spells. It seemed to Harry that she didn't want to talk about it, so he went back to practicing his charm.   
  
Once the second period was over, they packed their bags and headed to their next class which was Herbology. They dragged their heavy back packs outside into the crisp autumn air and into the greenhouse where Professor Sprout was just emptying gigantic piles of soil into the pots on every table. The Hufflepuffs joined them in Greenhouse 6 for their class. Harry, Hermione, Ron and Princess Joy took a seat and put on their gloves and coats. Once they had all settled down, Professor Sprout began the lesson.  
  
"Good morning, everyone," said Professor Sprout. "Welcome to your first Herbology lesson of your NEWT year. This is also Princess Joy's first Herbology lesson at Hogwarts, isn't it, Your Royal Highness?"  
  
"Yes it is, Professor Sprout," she said with her usual big grin, "and I am happy to be here on this cheery autumn day!"  
  
"I'm glad to here that, indeed! Today, we'll be starting to learn about Orientolips. These gigantic flowers are from China and are known as one of the most beautiful flowers in the world. They can be known to grow up to 7' high. They have silky, red peddles with golden oriental designs of dragons on them and have ruby and diamond-like specks all over them. Their pollen looks very much like gold and is sometimes used for Potions.   
  
"Every month, they grow a special seed used to heal victims of the worst curses possible. This plant has a mind of its own, a very good and helpful mind if you treat it carefully. But if you do not care for it very well, it will become quite vicious. These plants can talk any language, although their main tongue is Mandarin.   
  
"These seeds will bloom in about 2 months. We will be learning about them for 4 months while learning about some extremely dangerous weeds and plants used for medicines here and there. It takes about 4 months because Orientolips take very advanced planting, and a lot of time to grow and develop. Thanks goodness they're not annuals! Right now, I will give you your seeds so we can get started."  
  
Professor Sprout grabbed an enormous bag of seeds and handed each student a large seed. Everyone stared at how beautiful the seed was. It shimmered like a ruby and it did in fact have Oriental designs. Once they got their seeds, they laid them aside. Hermione looked up at Princess Joy to speak.  
  
"You know, Joy, I love how cheery you are," said Hermione. "How come you're always so happy?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, parents of Wizard Monarchs always have to be careful when picking names," stated Joy. "The name you pick will become the characteristic of the child. Take me for instance! They named me Joy, and as you can see, I have a lot of joy! My parents wanted to name my sister Wisdom, but that was already taken by a previous Wizard King. They named her Glory so her reign could be victorious and powerful, and I think it quite suits her. She's a very powerful person who knows how to get power and how to use it. She's also very victorious. She wants to do everything perfect and she usually does end up doing things that way. I don't see why anyone should be perfect. We are never going to be completely perfect. But in my eyes, I think everyone is perfect in their own way."  
  
She winked at Ron after saying this. Ron's face became as red as his hair.  
  
"I wanted to ask you about your school," continued Hermione. "What kind of houses are there?"  
  
"They're a little bit like yours. First of all, instead of having 4 houses they have 3 houses, because they have such a limited amount of students. Only a few young witches and wizards each year can attend. To get into that school, you have to pass an entrance exam, you have to be smart, Catholic and rich. It's also a very expensive school."  
  
"Did you just say Catholic?"  
  
"Yes, it's a Catholic school. I guess it kind of rubs on us, you know, having the pope in Italy. We barely keep in contact with the Muggle Italy unless if it's religious. They have statues and chapels in the school. It makes it so cozy.   
  
"Anyway, back to the houses. There are three houses: Lionoresso, Serpentini and Civettazora. The symbols are almost exactly the same. Lionoresso's symbol is a lion and Serpentini's symbol is a snake. Civettazora is the only one that's different; their symbol is the owl.   
  
"The students are divided into the three houses by their personalities: the ones who are cheerful and friendly go in Lionoresso. The ones who are friendly but wise and serious go in Civettazora. The ones who are serious and somewhat vain go in Serpentini. I was in Lionoresso, and my sister was in Civettazora."  
  
"How fascinating!" said Hermione. "What sorts you?"  
  
"In our school, we have this gigantic, golden cup that holds this silver liquid. When a first year looks into it, they will see the word of their house, themselves in their house uniform and for everyone else to know, the liquid whispers the house the student will be in in a way that everyone hears yet the whisper is very soft."  
  
"Extremely interesting Was it a big school?"   
  
"Oh yes, about a half bigger than this school."  
  
"I wish I could see that school. It's seems very nice," sighed Ron who looked kind of sad after he had heard of all the rich kids who went there.  
  
"Now," said Professor Sprout as she spoke out loud to the class, "you may put your seeds into the mixture. This is special soil made for these plants. It is made up of unicorn fertilizer, growth formula, wild mandrake pollen and wizard mineral water that contains a specific mineral called dracontite. Put your seed in the earth about a foot down, fill up your watering cans and pour all the formula in the soil. These seeds need a lot of this stuff."  
  
They all dug into the soil and pushed their seeds in there. Harry watched Princess Joy as she gently scooped away the soil very gently, carefully not getting dirty. She had a grossed out look on her face.  
  
"You don't like Herbology that much, do you?" asked Harry.  
  
"No, not too much."  
  
"I remember hearing that you and your sister aren't so great at Herbology."  
  
"Yes, that's true. We usually have gardeners who work with our gardens for us."  
  
"I went on one of the tours at your Venetian palace," said Hermione. "It's very big, I think almost as big as Hogwarts and it has the most beautiful gardens. They have about several of these plants, don't they?"   
  
"Yes, they do. We have them at every palace. We have at least one castle in about, every country I think. They are all not as big as Hogwarts though. My sister ordered to have at least a patch of these plants at every palace. These are her favourite plants. I like a different kind of flower, it's called a Singing Jineroco. It's a Spanish flower, and I think we will also be learning about them this year. They actually hum and sing, and they can mumble some Spanish. They're very friendly plants. They have so many colours in them and they have sparkles of silver and gold on their peddles with a huge diamond-like center in the middle. I love those plants so much.   
  
"I don't know why we have so many castles, though. They belonged to every Wizard Monarch actually, even though there have only been three so far. I like our main home, Palezzo Usignolo di Dumbledore, which in English is Dumbledore's Nightingale Palace. It's about 3 times bigger than Hogwarts with the most beautiful gardens in the world."  
  
"Wow, that must be great having such wonderful palaces. I wonder how Malfoy's house is like. I heard that he has 3 vaults in Gringotts!"  
  
"Only 3 vaults?" said Princess Joy. "Oh sorry, I didn't want to be snobbish. It just seems like that's a low number for me. You see, my sister and I have 4 vaults in every national bank of each country. In Rome, my hometown, I have 16 vaults."  
  
"Say what?!?" shouted Harry.  
  
"Wait a minute," said Hermione. "I thought a Gringotts vault can hold up to 5 billion galleons!"  
  
"You see, that's why I have so many vaults. I make 10 gazillion galleons a year."  
  
Harry, Hermione and Ron's eyes practically popped out of their sockets. They were amazed of how rich she was.  
  
"How can you have so much money?" yelled Ron as he poured the formula in his pot.  
  
"First of all, I get it from inheritance. Second, we're a part of many committees, organizations, societies, and we're spokespeople for a lot of things too. Third, we have a few companies of our own, I have a make-up company. Fourth, our family is already rich; my father's the Minister of Magic for Italy and my mom's a designer and a business woman who has a fashion line and owns many shops around the world. And last, because we make such expensive and wonderful inventions. I'm afraid my sister does most of that. She loves inventing gizmos, gadgets and cures. I also help with my mom's fashion line. My sister usually helps my father with the Ministry of Magic for Italy. I do inventions with Glory, but most of the time she does them on her own. We also do inventions for the army. My sister invented these special contact lenses that let soldiers see through walls, bushes and coats so they could spot hidden soldiers and weapons, and she got an award for them too. I'm helping her on this new kind of strap that sticks onto you and makes you invisible."  
  
They continued planting and watering their giant Orientolip seed until the bell rang and they picked up all their books and headed to Transfiguration. Professor McGonagoll was waiting for their arrival in her cat form, as usual. They were joined by the awful Slytherin group, which Draco Malfoy was in. Once all the desks were being sat in, she jumped off the desk and turned into her normal, serious self with a round of applause of her wonderful transformation to greet her.  
  
"Thank you, thank you very much," she said with a small grin. "Good morning class, and welcome to another year of Hogwarts. This year will be quite different from all the rest of your years here, for you will be starting your NEWT years, which will determine and effect your future career. You cannot be so lazy anymore on your homework nor any of your work in this class."  
  
A few students in the room gulped down very hard, including Ron who was sitting beside Harry, who looked tense at the idea of all that hard work.  
  
"Further more, I am sure you know our new 6th year, Her Royal Highness Princess Joy," she said pleasantly. "Princess, I hope you are doing well so far."  
  
"Yes, of course," said Joy with her usual gigantic smile.  
  
"I do hope you find Hogwarts a wonderful learning experience and so will your sister , which all of you know is Her Royal Highness Princess Glory, an extremely bright student I must say. How is she finding the school?"  
  
"She thinks it's all right, although I heard her saying she doesn't like the rule of not using magic in the corridors."  
  
"Well, I guess she'll get used to it in time. This year, Slytherins and Gryffindors, you will be learning Transfiguration that is a lot more complex and advanced; how to transfigure human beings. It is a very hard subject, and I am happy that Her Royal Highness is here to introduce the subject, since she is quite good at transfiguring herself."  
  
"You're an animagus?" questioned Ron shyly to Joy, who was sitting right behind him with Hermione.  
  
"Yes and no," replied the Princess. "I can change into an animal like an animagus, but I can change into any animal I want. But I can also change into objects and people. For example-"  
  
She stood away from her desk, closed her eyes and suddenly her features magically changed that she grew taller, grew freckles and red, short hair. Amazingly, she had turned into Ron. She looked at Ron who was surprised out of his wits.  
  
"Bloody brilliant, don't you think?" asked Joy with Ron's voice and a large smile.  
  
"Wicked!" he said in amazement as everyone else was in awe of what she did, although Malfoy had a snobbish look on his face.  
  
"You could have picked any thing to turn into and you picked that cheap, red-headed goof?" questioned Malfoy rudely.  
  
"Malfoy!" scolded Professor McGonagoll angrily. "I will not tolerate you speaking that way to this young lady, a high-ranking lady if I may add. Ten points from Slytherin!"  
  
All the Gryffindors had big smiles on their faces, but Hermione, Harry and Ron's were the biggest (but of course you know Princess Joy's was even bigger as always). Princess Joy turned back into herself and sat down as Professor McGonagoll tapped her ruler on the desk for attention.  
  
"We will begin this first class by learning about the art of transfiguring the human body. I'm afraid it'll be too rushed for us to begin practicing this today (Hermione sighed in disappointment for that), though in three days we will be starting to learn how to transfigure parts of someone else. We will start transfiguring others for a while, and then after a long period of time you will learn how to transfigure yourselves. I will give you Chapters 1 to 3 of Transfiguration for the NEWT Level for you to read tonight and you will answer the following questions, 30 words minimum for each question. I will write the questions on the board for you to copy down."  
  
She neatly wrote 5 questions on the board and by the time everyone had finished, the bell rang and off they went to Divinations with the Ravenclaws, while Hermione left them to go to Muggle Studies. They went up the tower and into the misty room where their teacher Professor Trelawney was as-if floating about and greeting the students.  
  
"Do come in, my children, as we engage at learning more about our Inner Eye," she said in a dreamy voice. "Today we will be starting our learning of how to make predictions."  
  
"I'm going to sit next to Dean Thomas if that's okay with you," said Joy. "You know, it feels quite weird repeating Divinations again. You remember what I told you yesterday, right?"  
  
"No, you only told us that you wouldn't take History of Magic with us because of the elementary school you took," said Harry.  
  
"I suppose I forgot to mention that because we didn't have those subjects, we got the extra subjects earlier. You see, some of your classes you take for only 5 years. But since I started learning them two years earlier, I finished earlier. But I still want to do some of the classes still, like Divinations and Care of Magical Creatures. I want to refresh my memory, also because I want to help others with their Inner Eye and I want to see Hagrid teach. We're friends with him. He used to come see us and play with us. He's so friendly. Well, I better go!"  
  
Princess Joy sat with Dean Thomas and his group, trying to become friendly with them, as everyone took their seats. After they sat, Princess Glory stoutly walked into the room while talking to her 4 buddies. The five Ravenclaws sat on the chairs at an empty table, which one of the girls swept Princess Glory's chair before she sat on it. She said a simple thank you, took out her books, crossed her legs and looked at Professor Trelawney.   
  
"Good morning, my fellow friends," welcomed Professor Trelawney. "Today and all of this month we will be learning the art of premonitions and visions. Finding and playing a scene of the future in your head is a very hard skill. But do not fear, we are lucky to have two incredible witches in this classroom, especially Princess Glory who predicted the attack of the Dark Lord. Today she will help us with visions, considering she has made such a great one this year."  
  
As Princess Glory stood up and walked to the front regally, her little group started clapping, then the whole class did. Once she was standing comfortably in the front, she cleared her throat, looked into the eyes of everyone for a moment, and spoke.  
  
"Good morning, fellow classmates," she started off. "I am sure you Gryffindors and Ravenclaws remember the speech my sister and I made during our class of Charms. Today, I will be helping the class another time by helping you see into your 'Inner Eye'. For this class, we will be learning psychic visions as Professor Trelawney has all told you so.   
  
"Let's get started, shall we? I would like you all at this moment to take your wands out because you will be performing a small spell to help you find your prediction. The spell will sprinkle some fairy dust upon you. Fairy dust can let you see into the future, which is what we want. I want you to wave your wand around your head and repeat these words: 'Predictus aido'. I will ask all of you to do that now."  
  
Everyone took out their wand from their bags and waved it around their heads saying the spell. Harry did this too, and right after he had cast the charm, he could feel bits of tickly, frosty dust lay on his head and disappear into his brain. His head felt very strange at the time, like gentle snowflakes melting on his head.  
  
"Today, we will start by just doing a small prediction; we will predict what we will have for lunch today," said Glory, as she started to slowly pace around the room and circulating around the tables, seeing how everyone was doing. "I want you to close your eyes and make sure your head is not thinking, but you are concentrating the slightest bit on what you will be having for lunch. I actually have a little secret that helps me predict things. Usually, I rub my finger on a spot on both sides of my head. It is right here, above your eyebrows and further back. Rub that area for about 3 seconds and then start focusing. You may begin."  
  
Harry closed his eyes, rubbed the two spots and made his mind blank but a tiny thought of lunch. Suddenly, in his head, he could see right in front of him a bowl of creamy cauliflower soup, a bacon club sandwich, corn and some pumpkin juice right in front of him. He could smell the aroma of the delicious meal, the scent intoxicated him and his nostrils, making him so hungry. He opened his eyes as if it would be right in front of him but was disappointed when he found out it was not real.  
  
"Raise your hand if you know what you're going to have for lunch," said Princess Glory.  
  
Every single one of the students in their classroom shot their hand up, except for Seamus Finnigan.  
  
"Your Royal Highness," said Seamus timidly, "I can't predict what we'll have for lunch."  
  
"Let me help you," she said as she trotted over to where Seamus was sitting. "I'll help you step by step. Wave your wand around your head and say 'Predictus aido'. Go on!"  
  
Seamus waved his wand around his head and a delicate gold dust gently dropped on his head.  
  
"I want you now to close your eyes and think of nothing but a tiny idea of what you are having for lunch."  
  
Seamus did exactly as she said, surprisingly smiling.  
  
"I want you to rub those two spots on your head."  
  
"Can you show me where they are?" he asked innocently.  
  
Princess Glory touched the two spots on Seamus' head, as a gigantic and pleasing smile spread across his face. Harry, and anyone else for the matter, could see why he asked for help: Seamus obviously liked her.  
  
"What do you see?" asked Princess Glory.  
  
"I see pumpkin juice!" he declared. "An-and corn, cauliflower soup and a bacon club sandwich!"  
  
"Did everyone have that prediction?" asked Princess Glory.  
  
All of the people in the class nodded. The bell rang and everyone started packing up.  
  
"Before you leave, my children," said Professor Trelawney, "remember to read the first 7 pages of First-Year NEWT Divinations and do a summary of those pages for the next lesson. Now go off and eat your predicted lunch."  
  
They all hurried hungrily to lunch for they already knew what they would have. Harry and Ron ran to the Great Hall and sat at the seats next to Hermione, who had already started eating her lunch. Princess Joy came after since she was chatting with Dean. She skipped merrily and sat down right next to them.  
  
"Hey guys!" said Joy cheerfully as she poured some creamy aromatic cream of cauliflower into her bowl. "So, I guess my sister is quite the teacher, isn't she?"  
  
"Yes, she was actually quite good," responded Harry. "It was the first time I actually understood Divinations."  
  
"Same here!" agreed Ron. "She's actually really good at it."  
  
"Yes, I know. She's quite the public speaker. I'm good too, but I don't do as well as her I guess."  
  
"Was she that good?" asked Hermione. "I wish I could have seen it. If only Professor Trelawney wasn't such a nag."  
  
"We feel your pain, Mione!" agreed Ron.  
  
"What do we have next?" asked Harry as he finished his large (or at least, was large) bacon club sandwich.  
  
"We have Defense Against the Dark Arts," stated Princess Joy before she took a bite of corn. "I can't wait to see what Professor Luigi has for our class. He's such a nice and funny teacher. Are you excited?"  
  
"Definitely!" said Ron. "I've heard of all the jokes he's said while fighting evil wizards and stuff like that. Was he in the war?"  
  
"He was," stated Princess Joy. "He and his brother were the ones who made us cheerful during the whole thing."  
  
"Wow, he must be really cool!"  
  
"He sure is!"  
  
They all finished gobbling down their food and talked some more. It was a good day ahead of them, and they ate until their stomachs were content.  
  
**********  
  
When the bell rang, Harry and his friends, with the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, went to their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. While entering the class, they looked around the classroom; it looked quite different. There were pictures of Professor Luigi's brother and him, of Italy, of heroic deeds they did and pictures of monsters and things the Hogwarts students would be learning. Professor Luigi appeared from behind his desk with his long bushy mustache and his green velvet robe. He had a big smile spread across his pleasant Italian face which seemed very welcoming.  
  
"Buongiorno, everybody!" welcome Professor Luigi. "Good afternoon! I hope you had a good lunch. Hopefully, you got to take your time while eating. In my family, it's not like that. My relatives are all heavy eaters. At reunions, if you don't eat fast you don't eat at all, because all the food is gone once you turn your back!"  
  
Everyone burst out laughing, including Harry who was laughing extremely hard because the joke reminded him so much of his cousin, Dudley.  
  
"I am extremely happy to be in this school, and I am extremely happy to teach you all. Now this year, to give you a hint of the curriculum, you will be learning a bit about the biggest monsters of all: dragons. I know all of you know about dragons. Muggles even know about dragons. You know, those very big lizards with big teeth and claws, usually are slain to rescue a damsel in distress. Don't worry, we're not doing to save a damsel in distress any time soon. But of course, I do like a damsel or two as long as she's a single, pretty lady around my age who knows her way around the kitchen but let's not get into that! Now, who can tell me a few examples of dragons?"  
  
A bunch of hands shot up immediately.  
  
"Let's see here.... How about you, what's your name?"  
  
"Ronald Weasley," said Ron.  
  
"So, can you give me an example of a dragon?"  
  
"Sure! How about... A Norwegian Ridgeback!"  
  
"Good example! Do you know a lot about dragons?"  
  
"Quite a bit, my brother Charlie works with them in Romania."  
  
"Oh yes! I've met him before I think. Quite a good lad, your brother. My friend used to have a Norwegian Ridgeback for a secret pet that he hid from his parents, not a good idea may I add. I wonder what happened to it..."  
  
"The Norwegian Ridgeback?"  
  
"No, my friend. I never saw him again after a month of receiving the Norwegian Ridgeback. I remember hearing something about him, something about severe burns....and some crazy reaction of that dragon with skim milk... Anyway, don't worry about that. Any other examples?"  
  
Even more people shot up their hands.   
  
"All right... How about you? Wait, I know you! You're Harry Potter! The brave young lad who didn't die from the Dark Lord when he tried to curse him when he was an infant!"  
  
"Yes, I am," said Harry, embarrassed of all this fame before him.  
  
"What example of a dragon can you give us today?"  
  
"Er...A Hungarian Horntail?"  
  
"Yes, of course! The Hungarian Horntail! Those are one of the biggest and fiercest dragons there is. You fought one in that TriWizard Tournament in your 4th year, didn't you?"  
  
"Yes, I did."  
  
"You did fantastic in that tournament. Good job!"  
  
"Thank you!" said Harry, who was quite pleased that someone appreciated the great job he did fighting that awful beast.   
  
"You live with Muggles, don't you?" asked Professor Luigi.   
  
"Yes I do."  
  
"So you know about Muggle television?"  
  
"Yes...."  
  
"So you know Barnie?"  
  
"Uhmm...yes...."  
  
"Can you tell the class how does the Hungarian Horntail compare to Barnie?"  
  
"Er.... Very much," said Harry confusingly, wondering why a DADA teacher would want to talk about Barnie, furthermore, even comparing it to a Hungarian Horntail. "First of all, Barnie's.... purple and... yellow. Second, the real dragons are deadly. They also have bigger teeth and bigger claws and they also have wings. Hungarian Horntails also are way bigger and... and don't talk."  
  
"Very good, but the big difference that makes Hungarian Horntails a tiny bit better is that they don't sing that annoying song! Don't you just hate that song? I can't stand it!"  
  
Everyone burst out laughing. Malfoy and his cronies didn't even crack a have a grin though, they looked disgusted as if Professor Luigi started talking dirty.   
  
"Professor?" asked Draco in his usual snob voice. "Why are you talking about some pathetic Muggle dragon? A wizard of your standards shouldn't be talking about that kind!"  
  
"Are you saying that Muggles are filth?" questioned Professor Luigi, who was now sitting on the tip of his desk with his foot propped on a stool. "Well young man, you are very wrong. You make Muggles seem so different, when they are so close to us. The only difference is that they don't have magic and their lifestyles are different. They are actually extremely smart. Think about it: they have made a comfy and easy life-style without the use of magic. I think they are very intelligent, and nice. I met some Muggles here and there, and I've even saved some. They have so many great things. Take for example: airplanes, televisions, computers...and that beautiful super model Cindy Crawford!"  
  
Harry and the whole entire class giggled a whole lot. Harry had to agree with him, although in his mind he would choose, even with their bad history, Cho Chang over Cindy Crawford any time.  
  
"But Professor Luigi?" asked Ron. "I thought there were very beautiful models in Italy?"  
  
"There are," he said. "There are many, many beautiful women, including one Italian that's in our class."  
  
He was pointing to Princess Joy who was giggling and blushing her heart out.  
  
"There may be super models," said Professor Luigi, "but there are lots of women that have one thing in common in Italy: they don't shave their legs! And that's enough to scare you have to death! Once I had mistaken my aunt for a sasquatch!"  
  
Everyone clapped and roared with laughter at that joke. By then, their eyes were teary from all the laughing.  
  
"Okay, it's enough with the talking. Let's just get on with the lesson. We have half an hour left. I have a game we're going to play. I am going to separate all of you into 2 groups, which are your houses. We are going to play our own Defense Against the Dark Arts version of Jeopardy, though it'll be a bit altered from the original. All Muggles and wizards know about this show. You all know the rules. But you see, the group that gets the most points gets unlimited home-made sausages for each of their teammates. Every team will get a point for every 5 questions they answer. This is all review from the years before, kind of like an O.W.L. Defense Against the Dark Arts Jeopardy. Wouldn't that be great to do instead of the exam, eh? I will ask you questions of these things. I know Princess Joy is extremely smart so she is not to participate too much. She will help and do a question or so, but she will not do too much. Take your places!"  
  
Professor Luigi flicked his wand and there appeared two point booths for each house and a large chart with all the categories on the blackboard at the front of the class. They all stood at their point booths and lined up to answer the questions. The Slytherins and Gryffindors were excited to start.  
  
"The game has started!" declared Professor Luigi, adjusting his seat so that he was sitting a bit farther from the small corner of the desk and skimming through the list of student names on a clipboard he was holding. "First to start: Gryffindor! Ronald Weasley, choose a category!"  
  
"Uhmmm....I'll take Transforming Monsters for 300."  
  
"Excellent!" said Professor Luigi, as he waved his wand and flicked it at the square on the large chart on the board that said '300' under the category Ron had chosen. The number in the square on the board vanished and turned into a phrase. "Here is your question: A creature that takes any form, specifically the form of what its victim fears the most. The only spell to make this disappear is 'Ridikulus'."  
  
"I know! I know!" said Ron pushing the buzzer. "What is a boggart?"  
  
"Correct!"  
  
The numbers 300 appeared on the screen of their booth and the little square on the board with the phrase had vanished.  
  
"Slytherin! Vincent Crabbe, pick a category."  
  
"I'll take Pesky Creatures for 400," he said in a slow, deep, stupid voice.  
  
"All right, Mr. Crabbe," said Professor Luigi, as he yet again flicked the square Crabbe had chosen and there appeared a phrase. "Here it is: A small eight-inch, mischievous creature which is usually identified by its electric blue colour. Most of these tricky, little monsters live in Cornwall, England."  
  
"Uhmmm....Duh....Er... What is a fairy?"  
  
"Sorry, it's a pixie. Minus 400 for Slytherin."  
  
The sign for minus and the numbers 400 appeared on their screen and the square on the board vanished. Groans and moans were heard throughout the room. Malfoy was especially mad.  
  
"All right, Harry! Your turn!"  
  
Wizard-Killing and Extremely Dangerous Monsters, read Harry on the chart. I had a lot of experience in that, though I'd be an idiot if I wanted to try something that hard.  
  
"I'll take Wizard-Killing Monsters and Extremely Dangerous for 600," said Harry.  
  
Oh my goodness, he thought, why did I blurt out that?  
  
"Harry, this is a toughy: First known species of its kind lived in Boreo, and from then on lived in the heart of the jungle. This gigantic monster is spider-like with eight legs and is capable of speaking the human language."  
  
"Harry," whispered Ron, "we both know this. It's Aragog, remember? We met one in our 2nd year!"  
  
"So Harry? What's your final answer?"  
  
"What is an Acromantula?"  
  
"Correct!"  
  
The rest of the game was exactly like this. Gryffindors won the game and they all got unlimited homemade sausages and 10 points for their house, but the good didn't stop coming. At the end of the class when there was 5 minutes left, Professor Luigi gave out extravagant pastries to everyone. Ron stuffed himself with treats, and by the end Harry was certain that Ron's insides were all jelly-filled and stuffed with whipped cream. Harry asked Professor Luigi if he could save some pastries so that he could pick them up at the end of the day to give to Remus. Professor Luigi without a doubt said yes. Harry also saved some sausages for himself and Remus. The bell rang and everyone groaned to the next class. Next was Potions, which none of them liked. Harry was at least glad he wouldn't be sharing it with the Slytherins.   
  
They all dragged themselves to the awful, damp Potions class located in the dungeons where the crooked-nosed, greasy-haired Professor Snape stood scowling at all the Gryffindors, especially Harry. Harry took his seat next to his friends. He saw Princess Glory chatting with her friends softly. When everyone was seated, Professor Snape started speaking (which by the tone of his voice, sounded more like scolding) to the class.  
  
"As you know, it is the first day of your NEWT year, which means this is the first day of your hard-labouring days of your last years here," said Professor Snape in a scowling tone. "Your homework will be doubled this year and so will what we're learning. I'm not so certain many of you will do great this year (he said as he glared angrily at Harry). The truth is, I have no idea how some students got an O in their O.W.L.s in the first place. But I guess there are those few who will do extremely well this year... I will like to introduce Her Royal Highness Princess Joy," he said in a casual way as if she wasn't someone so important.  
  
Everyone clapped and she waved her hand to everyone.  
  
"Thank you so much," said Joy. "I'm so-"  
  
"And of course we cannot forget our wonderful warrior, Her Ever-So-Much-Royal Highness Princess Glory," he said with great joy as he interrupted Princess Joy talking.  
  
Everyone clapped, especially the Ravenclaws and the Princess' little group. Harry and his friends weren't so pleased how Snape cut Joy off; Joy was looking the angriest she had been so far at Hogwarts.  
  
"Thank you, Professor Snape," she said with a small, polite grin.  
  
"Don't mention it, Your Royal Highness," he said. "Any teacher would be glad to have you as a student in their class."  
  
"Well I am glad to be in yours. You know, no one can capture the art, essence and greatness of Potion making as you can, Professor Snape."  
  
"Well!" said Professor Snape, blushing all over his pale, greasy face. "Finally, there is someone who understands the true art of potion-making! 30 points for Ravenclaw. You know, you would have made a great Slytherin. Oh, why didn't the Sorting Hat put you in Slyhterin?"  
  
He sighed deeply with a sad face. This was the first time Harry had seen Professor Snape make that expression.  
  
"Yes, it is a shame," said Princess Glory. "I've met Draco Malfoy, he wouldn't seen like such a bad classmate."  
  
"Ah, I see you've met Mr. Malfoy. A great young man, isn't he?"  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
"I would like to continue this conversation further, but we have work to do," groaned the Professor. "Take out your text books of The First Year NEWT's Guide to Potions and turn to the first page. We will study the first potion in there and I expect to do a 100 word essay on your own summary of this potion by tomorrow."  
  
The potion on the first page was on a Monster Taming Spell. All the students took out their cauldrons, texts and ingredients and made this complex potion. It turned out to be a saucy, sizzling liquid and was preserved so that Professor Snape would test them all out and mark each of them. The bell rang and they all rushed to their common rooms, except for Harry. He ran all the way to Professor Luigi's classroom where some 1st years were coming out of the class.   
  
He entered the cheery room where Professor Luigi was just erasing the chalk on the board. He turned around and was surprised to see Harry.  
  
"Harry, you're here!" exclaimed Professor Luigi. "I'm sorry, I forgot you were coming, but do not worry. I saved you some pastries."  
  
He took the pastries he had put in his cupboard which he put in an Italian-decorated wooden plate covered with some plastic wrap.   
  
"Here you go," he said as he handed Harry the pastries. "Your mentor can keep the plate. It would be my pleasure. Did you want to give some to your Muggle family? You don't have to be a wizard to eat pastries, you know."  
  
"Well..."  
  
Harry hadn't thought of that. Would the Dursleys want pastries from him? He didn't really want them to hate him more, even if they were working on improving that.  
  
"I guess so."  
  
"Great, there you are," said Professor Luigi, handing a smaller plate of pastries from the cupboard.   
  
"Thank you so much!"  
  
"Oh, your welcome. You know, Harry... I know you have friends and everything but, if you need help or you're going through a hard time and you need to talk to someone, you can always talk to me. I know my experience isn't as bad as yours but.... When I was 12-years-old, my cousin was murdered by an escaped convict. My brother and I went through a very hard time. I know how it feels like to lose a loved one. I know you never knew your parents but, if you need to talk, you can always talk to me."  
  
"Th-thank you, Professor," said Harry appreciatingly. "Thanks a bunch."   
  
"We're very lucky to have such great Princesses in our time. They did a great job defeating Lord Voldemort."  
  
"Yes..... I-I'd better go."  
  
"Well, good bye."  
  
"Goodbye!"  
  
He walked out of the classroom and to his common room. He came across the Pink Lady (he was now scared to call her "fat" after he had heard she was Dumbledore's wife) and told her the password. He entered the common room and sat with Ron and Hermione at a table where they were doing homework. Princess Joy was across the room, chatting with Ginny and her friends and helping them with their homework. Harry opened up his Transfiguration work and started reading. Ron looked up at Harry.  
  
"Harry, where were you all this time?"  
  
"Oh, I picked up these pastries for Remus, and yes, the Dursleys. I think I'm going to send them right after I finish my work. Professor Luigi seems very nice. He told me that if I wanted to talk about something, I could always go to him."  
  
"Wow, that was ever nice of him. Did he tell you more?"  
  
"He told me his cousin was murdered by this escaped convict."  
  
"Yikes!"  
  
"You should both be doing your work!" shouted Hermione.  
  
They all faced their books and started working. They did some work before heading to the Grand Hall for their supper. All famished after the first day of school, they went hurriedly to their Gryffindor table. As they were eating their dinner, Princess Glory surprisingly left the Ravenclaw table for a while to go see Harry and his friends.  
  
"Hello, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Joy," she said cheerfully, totally opposite from what she was like in Potions. "How was your first day of school?"  
  
"Wonderful!" exclaimed Princess Joy. "Everyone here is so nice.... except for that disgusting awful Potions teacher!"  
  
"Who, Professor Snape?" asked Princess Glory. "He's so kind!"  
  
"What are you talking about? You know he cut me off when I wanted to talk!"  
  
"But you also knew that he had to address me too."  
  
"Good point, but I think he's taken favourites," pouted Joy. "He likes you way better than me."  
  
"Maybe he's heard of your bad procrastinating habits and wasn't quite looking forward to having you give in your homework late."  
  
"You always make certain situations so questionable!"  
  
"Yes, don't you just love it?"  
  
"Gr......"  
  
"Princess Joy did a fantastic transfiguration of Ron today," said Hermione.  
  
"Yeah, she turned into me!" said Ron with a smile.  
  
"Draco Malfoy acted like a git though," explained Harry, "and said that turning into him was a bad idea and he even called Ron a red-headed goof!"  
  
"I think that the red-headed goof part was quite rude and I am so sorry for that Ron," she said as she looked at Ron with an apologizing expression on her face.  
  
"It's okay," said Ron.  
  
"I suppose he was surprised you didn't take a better form."  
  
"Excuse me?" demanded Joy.  
  
"You see when I went to Transfiguration in the afternoon, I turned into Professor McGonagoll. Now that was a good idea. You could have done something else like..... Henry VIII! You could have turned into King Henry VIII of England and you could have said, 'I present Henry VIII, I am I am!'"   
  
"That man? Wasn't he overweight?"  
  
"Yes, I know that! I thought it was a good idea because of his quote, that's all!"  
  
"We also met Professor Luigi!" said Harry, trying to change the subject.  
  
"Really? Isn't he nice?" said Princess Glory.  
  
"He sure is!" said Ron. "And he's funny too! We all laughed at his jokes. I've got to pick up some jokes from him."  
  
"He also made this fun game for Defense Against the Dark Arts!" added Hermione. "It was so creative."  
  
"And the food!" said Ron. "I have never eaten such great sausages and pastries!"  
  
"His family does own a chain of restaurants in Italy," said Princess Glory with a small grin on her face. Her grins were very friendly but they couldn't match Princess Joy's.  
  
"So Princess Glory," said Harry, "I heard you're quite the athlete in dueling. I did some dueling once. Maybe some day we can have a dueling match."  
  
"Well..... I....Er.... I guess so! But I would have to go very easy on you; very, very, very, very, very, very easy on you."  
  
"Sure, whatever!  
  
"Oh, and Hermione, how much have you read so far on that Hogwarts, a History Volume 2 I gave you?"  
  
"Well, so far I only got to read 8 chapters."  
  
"Eight chapters?!" shouted Ron. "With that amount of time, I would barely read 1!"  
  
"Even so, what do you think of it so far?" asked Princess Glory.  
  
"It's wonderful! I even read about when Harry, Ron and I found the Philosopher's Stone! It's so wicked to be in a book!"  
  
"Seriously?" asked Ron surprisingly. "We're in the book?"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"Okay, then maybe I might read more than 1 chapter."  
  
"Are you in any books?" asked Harry.  
  
Both Princesses looked at each other and burst out laughing. Harry, Ron and Hermione all had confused looks on their faces.  
  
"So, have you been in any books?"  
  
"Well," said Princess Glory, "I don't mean to brag....but we have been mentioned many times in about....12 million books."  
  
"Twelve million?!?!" they all shouted. The whole entire Gryffindor table heard them. Seamus' drink shot out through his nose, Dean Thomas' jaw dropped and Neville Longbottom fainted. Everyone was shocked.   
  
"Hi Harry!"  
  
Harry turned around; it was Colin Creevey and his little brother, Dennis, who were carrying their big cameras as usual.  
  
"Harry! I can't believe it!" exclaimed Colin. "Royalty is at our school! Can I get a picture of you? I've made a goal this year: 500 pictures of you for this Hogwarts' year! Can we take some pictures of you and the Princesses?"  
  
"Fine...."  
  
They both went closer to him and posed. Colin and his brother took about 20 pictures when he was done. For one picture when Harry put his arm around them both, he thought he saw Princess Glory blush. Once Colin and his brother finally went away, they got to go back to their dinner and their conversation.  
  
"Is it just me or does Princess Glory have a schizophrenia issue going on?" asked Ron.  
  
"What?" questioned Joy.  
  
"I don't mean that, it's just so weird... that one minute you think she's amazing, and the next minute, she goes all... Slytherin on us."  
  
"Welcome to my world," said Joy. "Just when you think you've got her figured out, she shows you this side that's so unlike her own. It's entertaining, really, but it can be quite annoying."  
  
"So... she's two-faced?" asked Harry.  
  
"HARRY!" scolded Hermione.  
  
"What? It's true!" said Harry. "I know it's really mean for me to say this about 'royalty', but it's like she's two-faced. First she's nice, then she's not, like a fair-weather friend or something."  
  
"She's not usually like this," explained Joy. "She's been acting just... so different these past couple of days."  
  
After they had finished, they went to their common room and finished their homework. Afterwards, Harry went up to his dorm, pulled out a piece of parchment, ink and feather and started writing to Remus:  
  
Dear Remus,  
  
So far, my 6th year of Hogwarts is great. I found out yesterday that the Princesses for Magic are at our school. Princess Joy is so nice, and Princess Glory is nice too, though who knows when she'll show, what Ron calls, her 'Slytherin' side. Maybe Malfoy's had an influence on her. Princess Joy is so happy, she puts a smile on your face. Snape is awful as always, and so is Malfoy. Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is Professor Luigi, you know, as in Mario and Luigi? He's so funny. He gave us so many sausages and pastries. I'm sending some to you. They come with a really nice plate! We played a DADA Jeopardy, and our house won. I loved the look on Malfoy's face when he found out the Slytherin's lost. I can't wait until Quidditch starts. I wonder who will be the new Quidditch coach. I hope you'll have a good year! I'm really going to miss you!  
  
Harry  
  
Harry rolled it up, put a ribbon on it and attached it to the plate of goodies. He wrote a quick letter to the Dursleys enclosed with a package of pastries, and gave them both to Hedwig. He put the white owl on his risk and let him fly through the dark sky to Remus and the Dursleys. He stared at the beautiful bird into the speck of white in the distance disappeared. He put on his pajamas and went to bed. It didn't take him very long to go to sleep. He wanted to fall asleep as quick as possible to see the days to come.  
  
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it, and REVIEWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEAAAAASSSSEEEE!!!!! Next chapter is: The First Quidditch Practice of the Season. Yes, Quidditch starts, and Harry gets something back from last year..... Oh, and Harry has a duel with Princess Glory. BUMBUMBAAA!!!!!! Keep readin'! 


	7. The First Quidditch Practice of the Yaer

Harry Potter and the Princesses for Magic  
  
Disclaimer: Sorry that I forgot to put the disclaimer in the other chapter! I'm sorry, but I don't own Luigi, because Nintendo owns him. It did kind of put some of my own touches to make him 'Professor Luigi', but he still belongs to Nintendo. OH, and so does Mario. I also don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does.   
  
Author's Note: Hey readers! Whoever's reading this, I'm glad you are. And please review! OK... let's recap. Voldemort's dead, there are two super-powerful Princesses at school... and the new DADA teacher's Professor Luigi! Anyway, in this chapter, Quidditch practices start... and Harry had a duel with Glory!!! Oh, and I am so sorry if you feel that Harry is annoying of how much of a wuss he is. This story might not seem parallel to the 5th book because I started writing the story before I read the 5th book, so I didn't really know that Harry would male mood-swings so often. Instead, I tried to put teenage mood-swings by making him depressed, just a bit wussy, and very deep-in-thought. Give me a break! I've never been 16. Oh, and if you think that the Princesses are annoying, I apologize for that too. When I was starting the story, I wasn't very developed in the art of writing as much as I am now, so basically I created Mary Sues without even knowing it! Anyway, hope you like the story, and PLEASE REVIEW!  
  
Chapter 7  
  
The First Quidditch Practice of the Year  
  
Harry was very excited about the last class of the day. It would be his first Care of Magical Creatures lesson of the NEWT year, which Hagrid, the loveable half-man half-giant, taught. Hagrid's classes weren't the best classes they had, but Harry and his friends tried to be nice and attentive in his class. They would be having their Care of Magical Creatures class with the Ravenclaws, so Harry knew they would see Princess Glory once again.   
  
Since Hagrid's classes were usually outside the castle in the grounds, the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors all strolled outside in the fresh autumn-afternoon atmosphere to Hagrid's hut. While walking down the fresh-green hill in the school grounds with his friends, Harry looked back at the castle. He was amazed to see two new tall towers attached to the sides of Hogwarts. One tower was right next to the Gryffindor corridors, so why hadn't Harry seen it before?  
  
"Joy," asked Harry with a strong feeling that Princess Joy would be the wrong person to ask, "do you by any chance know why those towers are there?"  
  
"Why, I thought you knew!" said Princess Joy as she tightened her high pony tail. "The one near the Gryffindor tower are my rooms!"  
  
"Your rooms?"  
  
"Yes, my sister and I have our own towers for our comfort. Nono Albus wanted us to be as comfortable as possible, him being our great-great-great-grandpa and all. He has a tendency to spoil us a lot of the time, like most grandparents do (of course, Harry couldn't relate to this). They also thought it would be necessary for us to have very big and luxurious rooms because of our ranks. I think I already told you a bit about our own rooms. I thought it would be a bit too much, but they insisted! By any chance, do you know where my sister is? All the Ravenclaws are here, even her friends. But I don't see her anywhere."  
  
"Maybe she's coming after," guessed Harry.  
  
"'ello, Yer Royal 'ighness!" said a large, gruff voice from behind them.   
  
"Hi, Hagrid!"  
  
It was Hagrid, their giant friend, behind them, who also had a big smile spread across his hairy, bushy (and might I add, big) face.  
  
"I haven't seen ya since you were a wee toddler!" said Hagrid excitedly. "I'm glad you're here."  
  
"Me too! I'm totally thrilled be in your class!"  
  
She ran up to him and hugged him, which made Hagrid blush.  
  
"Eh, remembe' when I gave yer sister and you those piggy-backs?"  
  
"Oh yes, how can I forget! Those were so fun! Can you give me one now?"  
  
"No, I have ta start tha class. Maybe some othr' time."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
Hagrid, who looked like he was glowing with happiness, turned around to the students.  
  
"Good aftr'noon class," said Hagrid. "Hope yer excited fer t-day's lesson, and der school year. Dis year we'll be learnin' about rare species and all. T-day we'd be learnin' about black unicorns. Now, I know ya've learned about whi' unicorns a few years ago, but black unicorns are very different. In de forest, there are the black unicorns you will be takin' care of fer this month, but Princess Glory is around th' corner with the her royal black unicorns. Come on out, Princess!"  
  
Princess Glory came out with two gigantic black unicorns with long black feathery wings settled on their back, with a saddle, reins and a crest on their chest with a regal hippigryph in armour standing up like a human with Glory's magnificent sword, two black unicorns, a giant flame, golden vine border and a tiara as well.  
  
"'ello, Princess!"  
  
"Good afternoon, Hagrid!" greeted Glory with a small grin. "Long time no see!"  
  
"Yeah, I've missed ye and yer sister so much!"  
  
"Yes, and we have missed you too!"  
  
"Let's get on with tha lesson. As ye' can see, black unicorns are a bit bigger than the white unicorns. They're also very rare. There are only 50 black unicorns in ea' country. It's very sad. They also have wings, but some don't have 'em. Whi' unicorns can 'ave wings too, ye know. They have great healing pow'rs, a touch of their horn can cure ya very quickly. But unlike the whi' unicorns, their blood can't cure ya or make ya live longr. Once you've taken in tha blood of a black unicorn, ya fall dead. The blood of a black unicorn is poisonous to everyone, 'xcept them. They're very smart. There's also one thing that makes them a bit more likeable than whi' unicorns. Does anybody know what?"  
  
Princess Glory, Princess Joy and Hermione raised up their hand like lightning.   
  
"Uhmm.... How 'bout... Princess Joy!"  
  
"Usually, white unicorns prefer women touching them. Black unicorns like to have both girls and boys pet them. They like to be petted a lot more than white unicorns do. That's why they're a lot more likeable than white unicorns."  
  
"Very good! So if black unicorns are mo' likeable, why are whi' unicorns so popular?"  
  
Another shot of hands came up. Again, they were the hands of Princess Joy, Princess Glory and Hermione.  
  
"Uhmm.... Princess Glory."  
  
"White unicorns are more popular because of their elegance is more extravagant than most black unicorns. Their silky white skin is so beautiful, their popularity overcomes the black ones. Also, more people have seen white unicorns than black unicorns because black unicorns are so rare. Another major reason is of the white unicorn's blood. Many people have heard that this type of unicorn's blood can save you even if you're an inch from death. For a black unicorn to touch you, you would have to do something very special, which I will let Hagrid teach."  
  
"Excellent! Extremely excellent! Who can tell may why Muggles know whi' unicorns so much?"  
  
The same three hands shot up.   
  
"Uhmmm.....How 'bout Hermione this time!"  
  
"White unicorns are very popular with Muggles because of the Muggle-born wizards whose families know about the magical world their children come from. Also, sometimes white unicorns can get lost or they run away from poachers who bring them or chase them into the Muggle world where some Muggles spot them."  
  
"Wonderful! Just te let ya know, we're goin' ta be learnin' about what they eat this week. They're omnivores, which means that they eat meat n' plants. They usually eat wil' berries and fruits, wil' potatoes, other wil' vegetables and small animals such as mice and otha small creatures, although they only eat meat twice a week. They also eat a rare flow'r called Aprivites which is why there are so few black unicorns. Most black unicorns live where the Aprivites grow. If possible, they eat olives, if there ar' any around. If they do fin' any olives, they eat a lot!   
  
"For t'day's assignment, get into groups. I will give each group a black unicorn. Whoever's in Princess Glory or Princess Joy's group, will get one of the royal black unicorns. Read the chart in tha first section of yer first chapter in The Advanced Magical Creature Owner's Manual for NEWT Students of the daily diet of a black unicorn."  
  
Hagrid went into the forest where he pulled out some other black unicorns.  
  
"These creature ar' worth a fortune!" said Hagrid, bringing them to the class. "It wa' very hard for Hogwats to get these beauties. Thei' Royal Highnesses helped a lot with getting these. Class, say thank ya to them!"  
  
"Thank you!" the class shouted to them. Most of the class thanked the Princesses with enthusiasm after taking a glimpse of the wonderful, noble, black unicorns.   
  
Everyone was given a unicorn. Harry and his friends were fortunate to have gotten one of the royal black unicorns. Hagrid passed around a box with a variety of food for the black unicorns to eat. It was up to the students to pick out the right types of foods and amounts for their unicorns. Harry was looking through his book to find the chart while Ron was looking at the foods and Hermione and Princess Joy were petting the wonderful beast.  
  
"It says here that their daily diet consists of half a pound of berries, a quarter of a pound of peach, a couple of apples and 2 wild potatoes, and 2 pounds of olives is optional," read Harry.  
  
"Wow, that's a lot for an animal!" said Ron surprisingly. "2 pounds of wild potatoes and olives? That's a lot. You're a very hungry fellow, aren't you?"   
  
"First of all, Ron," stated Hermione, "it's not a fellow, it's a unicorn. Second of all, it has a name. If you look around its neck it has a collar which says 'Moscow'. And third of all, I wouldn't talk because you eat about the same amount in sweets!"  
  
"Shut up, Mione!"  
  
"Besides," included Princess Joy, "I don't think it's that much, considering the size of this creature. My sister eats more!"  
  
"Speaking of your sister, why was it only her who brought in the black unicorns?"  
  
"She's the one that usually uses black unicorns. I barely use them. If you look on the crest, it has black unicorns and a hippigryph. This is my sister's coat of arms. I have a coat of arms with a hippogryph and white unicorns, with vines, gems, tiara and a wave of water. I didn't want my coat of arms to have armour on it."  
  
"Why is it named 'Moscow'?" asked Ron.  
  
"Oh, that's because she likes Russia a lot. We have a castle up there, and it's one of my sister's favourite places to go on vacation. Her other black unicorn is 'Anastasia', and don't forget that her hippigryph is named 'Tsarina'. Weird, isn't it?"  
  
"Just a little," replied Harry.  
  
"Anyway," continued Hermione, "we have to give him the list of food you said, Harry."  
  
"It needs half a pound of berries, a quarter of a pound of peach, a couple of apples and 2 wild potatoes, and 2 pounds of olives is optional. It also needs 1 Aprivite and 2 mice or rabbits a week. I think we should start feeding him the Aprivite and scurry creatures today. Give Moscow 1 Aprivite in the box. Where's the meat?"  
  
"It's this stuff," answered Princess Joy as she picked up a slice of smoked meat. "It's not how they usually eat their meat, but this is healthier for them. It has all these spices and vitamins and was smoked with extra virgin olive oil and red wine. It's also supposed to have more flavour."  
  
"No matter what you do to it, it still looks repulsive!" remarked Ron with a disgusted look.  
  
They fed Moscow its food one item by one. The Aprivite was a big, grey flower with purple spots on it, and had a strange type of black pollen in the middle. At the end of the class, everyone brought back their unicorns and boxes and gave them to Hagrid. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Princess Joy helped Hagrid to put everything away. Princess Glory couldn't stay because she had a meeting with Professor Dumbledore to discuss her latest discoveries and inventions, and then she had a meeting with Professor Snape about her improvement with her latest werewolf potion. Afterwards, she was going to add an extra page to her essay for Royal Lessons.  
  
"Royal lessons?" asked Hermione.  
  
"They're lessons given to Joy and I so we'll be prepared to be Monarchs," said Princess Glory. "Our lessons are in the summer, but we're given assignments, readings and such during the other months."  
  
Once they were about to leave, Princess Joy turned around to ask Hagrid a question.  
  
"Hagrid, I was thinking about those piggy-backs you used to give me. I know it might sound silly but... Can you give me a piggy-back to the castle?"  
  
"Well sure!" replied Hagrid. "I would be glad te give ye one!"  
  
Hagrid lifted her up and put her on his massive shoulders, and off they walked. Once Harry thought about it, it seemed very odd to him that a great and powerful witch would want a piggy-back from a loveable, half-man half-giant like Hagrid. Hagrid and Princess Joy told Harry and his friends about fun times they had together and Harry, Hagrid, Ron and Hermoine told Princess Joy about fun time they had. Once they got to the castle, Hagrid lifted Princess Joy off his shoulders and laid her down on the ground. They all said goodbye to Hagrid as they slowly walked into the corridors of Hogwarts.  
  
*********  
  
It was early in the evening of the same day. Harry had just finished his homework and was just thinking of polishing his Stella-Velocita 29, when Professor McGonagoll entered the common room. Harry looked up from his parchment to see his teacher who had just entered the room and was carrying a large parcel behind her back. He sensed that Professor McGonagall would need to say something important.  
  
"Harry, I need to speak to you," she said in her serious voice.  
  
Harry felt a lump in his throat.   
  
Am I in trouble? thought Harry. But I didn't do anything wrong, did I? Harry walked over to Professor McGonagall.  
  
"Yes, Professor McGonagall?"  
  
"Harry, I wanted to tell you something very important. Whenever a Quidditch captain graduates from Hogwarts, they usually get to pick the new captain of their Quidditch team. Harry, the end of the year when Angelina Johnson left, she told me that she wanted you to be the Gryffindor Quidditch captain."  
  
Harry was in shock. A mixture of excitement, nervousness and joy swelled in him. He was speechless.  
  
"Harry, I know it's a tough job, and an enormous responsibility, but Johnson, and even Wood, were certain you could do it. So, will you accept the offer?"  
  
"I....I....Uh....Yes...."  
  
"Great! Harry, because Fred and George Weasley are gone, you have to find two new Beaters. We also need 3 new Chasers since Ms. Johnson, Ms. Bell and Ms. Spinnet have graduated Hogwarts. I expect you to have the first practice soon. The first Quidditch game of the season is in less than 2 1/2 months and Gryffindor will be against Slytherin. I sure do not want to be around Professor Snape if Slytherin wins."  
  
"Professor McGonagall, when I was banned from Quidditch, didn't they have replacements for Fred, George and I?"  
  
"Oh, yes of course," said Professor McGonagoll. "Don't worry about that, they were only temporary players. We all knew you would be back in the game as soon as that Umbridge was stopped. I do recommend though that you suggest putting them on your team."  
  
"I'll do that," said Harry.  
  
"Oh my, before I forget I wanted to give you back something," said Professor McGonagall.  
  
Professor McGonagall pulled out the parcel she was hiding behind her back and handed it carefully to Harry. Harry held it in both his hands and examined it. It was in the shape of a broom, and on the parcel was a note that read: Firebolt, Owner: Harry Potter.   
  
"It's your Firebolt," said McGonagall, looking a bit sad as she looked at the broom. "Your godfather gave it to you, didn't he?"  
  
Harry, who was trying to hold back tears as his hands glided on the parcel, looked up at McGonagall.  
  
"You know about Sirius, and what happened to him?"  
  
"Yes I do," responded McGonagall sadly. "Dumbledore explained everything to me at the end of last year. I'm so sorry, Harry."  
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry too."  
  
"Maybe a ride on it will make you feel better," said Professor McGonagall. "I'll give you a note to let you fly out in the grounds if you want."  
  
"No, that won't be necessary," said Harry. "I don't think I could bear flying on it. I have a new broom that I think I'll fly. Flying the Firebolt.... it'll just hurt too much."  
  
"I see. Well, I have to leave now," said Professor McGonagall. "Goodbye, Mr. Potter."  
  
She left the common room as Ron, Hermione and Princess Joy just came in from looking at a few of the many books that Princess Joy were mentioned in. They all had a puzzled look on her face when they passed by Professor McGonagall.  
  
"Harry, why was Professor McGonagoll here?" asked Hermoine.  
  
"She...er.... She told me that I would be the new Gryffindor Quidditch captain," said Harry with a fake grin, trying to hide his depression.  
  
"Harry, that's great!!!!" shouted Ron with excitement. "I mean, Harry, my own friend, a captain. Charlie was captain too, but my best friend, captain of the Quidditch team for Gryffindor!"  
  
"I'm with Ron," agreed Hermione. "It's unbelievable. We knew you would end up captain but now that it's happened, we're so blown away!"  
  
"I'm so happy for you!" congratulated Princess Joy. "I've never seen you play but believe me, I've read a bit of Hogwarts, a History Volume 2 and it says how great you are."  
  
"Thanks," sighed Harry. "Thanks a bunch."  
  
"Harry, you don't look too happy," said Hermione, sounding concerned.  
  
"Yeah Harry, you should be thrilled!" said Ron.  
  
"What's the matter, Harry?" asked Joy, sitting down next to Harry. "You can tell us."  
  
"It's nothing, really."  
  
"Come on, you can tell us!" said Ron.  
  
Harry lifted up the parcel he was holding to Ron.  
  
"What's this?" asked Ron, examining it.  
  
"It's the Firebolt," said Harry.  
  
"Great, you got your broom back! Hey Harry, remember when McGonagall took it away because they thought Sirius- Oh yeah," said Ron, as his voice suddenly dimmed a bit after realizing what was wrong. "It's Sirius, isn't it?"  
  
Harry took a deep breath of depression and let out a long sigh.  
  
"Yeah it is."  
  
"Who's Sirius?" asked Joy curiously.  
  
"It's a long story," said Hermione.  
  
"Come on, you can tell me!"  
  
Harry looked around to see if anyone was in the room, if it was safe to tell Joy. As he looked around, he found that only Neville and Ginny were in the room, and they were there that night. It was safe to tell her.  
  
"The Sirius we're talking about is....is.." said Harry, trailing off. "The Sirius we're talking about is Sirius Black."  
  
"Oh my goodness!" gasped Joy, putting her hands to her mouth. "You mean, that criminal who's responsible for Voldemort killing your parents?"  
  
"No, he isn't," said Harry. "He was innocent, he was never with Voldemort. It was Peter Pettigrew who was the one who betrayed them. He framed Sirius by faking his own death and turning into a rat!"  
  
"Which was my pet rat and I slept with might I add!" added Ron.  
  
"That too. Anyway, Peter went back to serve Voldemort until the war. They killed him during then, but I never learnt how. All I heard was that he was dead."  
  
"You mean you're saying that all this time, he was innocent?" questioned Joy. All of them nodded. "Wow, I never knew that. Poor Sirius! Locked up in Azkaban for 13 years! He escaped though, didn't he? So where is he now?"  
  
"I...uh..... the truth is, there isn't any exact answer to that," sighed Harry, thinking of how mysterious that veil was. He himself had no idea how Sirius really died.  
  
"What do you mean? Don't you know?" asked Joy.  
  
"Yes and no," said Hermione. "It's really complicated."  
  
"What's complicated?"  
  
"The way he...." Harry trailed off. He couldn't bear to think of his poor godfather dead. "The way he.... the way he died."  
  
"Oh my goodness, he died!" gasped Joy. "But- but how? Were you there when he died?"  
  
"I was, and so was Neville Longbottom over there," said Harry, pointing at Neville who was having a hard time with his Potion's homework. "Ron, Hermione, Ginny and a Ravenclaw named Luna Lovegood came too, but they weren't where we were."  
  
"What do you mean, 'where you were'? Where were you anyway?"  
  
"Did you hear about the night when Voldemort entered our Ministry of Magic?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yes, of course! Papa was so frightened when he heard about that, thinking he would come after the other Ministries next."   
  
"Well, it was that night that we tried to enter the Ministry of Magic. It's a long story, we'll tell you some other time. Anyway, I thought Sirius was being tortured by Voldemort, so we tried to save him. It was all a trap and some Aurors had to come and get us, and Sirius was among them. He tried to fight the Death Eaters, but alas, he died....."  
  
"He died?" gasped Joy sadly.  
  
"Yeah... he did. Everything must sound so confusing, but eventually we'll tell you what happened."  
  
"Sure, it all sounds so confusing. How did you get to know Sirius so well anyway?"  
  
"Sirius.... Sirius was my godfather...." sighed Harry.  
  
"Oh dear, you poor thing!" said Joy as she gave him a hug. "I never knew!"  
  
"It's okay, Joy. Don't work yourself up over it. Wait a minute!" said Harry, as he suddenly thought up something quite curious. "How could Voldemort be planning a war if he was trying to get the weapon at the Ministry?"  
  
"You mean that Prophecy?" asked Joy. "I heard about that from Papa. They think that he was planning both at the same time. They think that his whole plan might have been to get the Prophecy, and then to have the war."  
  
"You mean, all that time he was planning two whole entire different schemes and messing my mind?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh, another long story. We'll tell you some other time."  
  
"Well, just look on the bright side: if he's dead, he's gone to a better place. Besides, you shouldn't be so sad! You're Quidditch captain!"  
  
"Yeah, cheer up, mate!" said Ron.  
  
"Thanks a bunch you guys," said Harry, who was starting to cheer up. "But I've got to find two new Beaters and three Chasers for the team. I'm thinking of making next Friday the first Quidditch practice."  
  
"I could be a Beater!" volunteered Princess Joy. "I was a Beater in my old school. I'm actually wonderful at it. I've been wanting to be a Hogwarts Quidditch player since I heard that I was coming here. I was thinking of being a Seeker at first, but I'm great at Beater as well. I think I told you about it on the train.   
  
"My sister used to be a great Beater as well. For some strange reason, she attracts Bludgers. It used to be good because once they went near her she slammed them to the wall. But when she was about 9 years old, she started losing interest in Quidditch, and when she lost interest in Quidditch she lost interest in playing Quidditch, and when she lost interest in playing Quidditch she started to become bad at it, and once she became bad at it she wasn't so great at hitting Bludgers. When that happened, she started getting hit in the head, a lot! Now she has this fear of balls and whenever she goes to a Quidditch game, she gets hit in the head by Bludgers."  
  
"Yikes!" said Ron. "No wonder she hates Quidditch so much!"  
  
"I'd like to see you play Beater, but I've got to find another Beater," said Harry. "Who else do you know in Gryffindor that can play Beater?"  
  
"What about Ginny?" suggested Princess Joy. "Ron told me that she played the Seeker for a while and you won the game. I think she could play Beater."  
  
"Ron, what do you think?"  
  
"I don't know, but I think she could have a go at it. I could ask Fred and George for their book of The Beater's Bible to give to Ginny."  
  
"You don't have to ask them, you can read my copy," volunteered Princess Joy.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Great!" said Harry. "Of course, we'll have to ask Ginny first. I think next week I'll have the first practice for Gryffindor. Can you ask Professor Dumbledore if I could sign out the grounds for next Tuesday too?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
"I guess all I have to do now is find 3 Chasers. Do you know any good Chasers in Gryffindor?"  
  
"No, I'm afraid not," said Hermione.  
  
"Beats me!" responded Ron.  
  
"I haven't met anyone so far that I know who's a great Chaser," answered Princess Joy.  
  
"Oh, all right. I'm going to send a letter to Remus to tell him I made Quidditch captain. He'll be thrilled! All the younger students are in bed now anyway."  
  
"Who's Remus?" asked Princess Joy.  
  
"Oh, he was one of my father's best friends. I visited him for a while in the summer. I think I should go upstairs now. See you tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah, bye!"  
  
Harry hurried upstairs to his dorm. As soon as he entered the room, he pulled out a quill, parchment and ink and starting writing his letter to Remus:  
  
Dear Remus,  
  
Guess what? I'm the Quidditch captain! I'm so excited. Our first game is in 2 and a half months and I have to find 2 new Beaters and 3 Chasers to replace Fred and George Weasley, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell. I think I've got two new replacements: Princess Joy says she's great at being Beater and Ginny might be able to do Chaser. She filled in for me temporarily for Seeker last season, so she might be a good Chaser this season. Now I have to find three Chasers. Of course, we'll have to wait until the try-outs to see who's good enough to be on the team. Even though, I think I've got a handle on it. I'll try my best. Hopefully, I can live up to Oliver and Angelina.  
  
Harry  
  
  
  
********  
  
Harry ate his breakfast slowly as he thought about what Professor McGonagall said the night before. The fact that he was the new Quidditch captain for Gryffindor still shocked him. It was hard to think though, that he had his Firebolt again, the one that was totally stripped down because his godfather Sirius, oh poor dear Sirius, had sent it to him.   
  
Hermione, Ron and Princess Joy came down to breakfast as well. This time, Princess Joy had put her hair up with butterfly clips. Harry said hello to them as he picked at his bacon.  
  
"Hello, Harry!" greeted Princess Joy. "What's the matter?"  
  
"I was just thinking of what Professor McGonagall said. I'm a bit nervous to make the new Quidditch team. Who am I going to replace as Chasers?"  
  
"I don't know," responded Ron.  
  
Harry let out a long, deep sigh. Just then, Dean Thomas came down and sat right next to Harry.  
  
"Hey, Harry. Is it true you're going to be the new Gryffindor Quidditch captain?"  
  
"Yes, it is. It's just that I'm really anxious to find new Chasers for the team. Do you know any good Chasers in Gryffindor?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
"Really? Who?"  
  
"Me!"  
  
Harry stood in shock.  
  
"You're a Chaser?"  
  
"Of course!" answered Dean, pouring himself some pumpkin juice. "Since I found out about Quidditch, I asked to get signed up in a mini, local Quidditch team during the summer. I'm one of the Chasers."  
  
"Really?" asked Harry. "How do you feel about being one of the Quidditch Chasers for Gryffindor?"   
  
"I...Er....A...Of course!!!" stuttered Dean Thomas. "I would love to!"  
  
"Great, try-outs are going to be on Tuesday. I think I'm going to check out your Chaser skills and see how you play with the rest of the team. Got it?"  
  
"Great! I'll be there!"  
  
Harry felt a burst of joy. He just might be able to pull together a great Gryffindor Quidditch team. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and he looked around. It was Cho Chang.  
  
"Hello, Harry!" said Cho Chang with a shy smile.  
  
"H-h-hi...." stuttered Harry.  
  
"I found out you're going to be the new Gryffindor captain for Quidditch. Congratulations!"  
  
"Thank you!"  
  
"Your welcome. Oh dear, I guess I'd better go. I can't wait to see Gryffindor play."  
  
"Cho?" Harry asked shyly, thinking this might be a chance to re-start things with Cho. "By the way, what are you doing today?"  
  
"Going to the dueling match. Don't you have that duel with Princess Glory?"  
  
"You know?"  
  
"Of course! Everyone knows, and everyone's going to be there. Everyone in Ravenclaw is going to be rooting for Princess Glory, but I'll be cheering you on."  
  
"Thanks.."  
  
"I wish you a lot of good luck. I've seen Princess Glory duel, she's extremely rough!"  
  
"Oh no...."  
  
"I guess I'll see you there!"  
  
"Yeah, I guess so.."  
  
Cho Chang skipped back to the Ravenclaw table, while Harry was feeling knots in his stomach from being extremely nervous.   
  
Would I be able to win this, or even survive? he thought to himself. He would just have to wait and see.  
  
**********  
  
Harry, who was a bit nervous for his dueling match, ate his lunch forcefully, got ready, grabbed his wand and hurried outside into the school grounds. He was going to meet Princess Glory in the field where they usually played Quidditch. Harry was told that they would play the professional way: both of them would start off with 100 points. Points would be taken off depending on what spell they were under, a spell that backfired or a spell cast that the opponent had missed. If someone had lost all their 100 points, the opponent would win.   
  
Harry was also told that there would be a crowd of people watching, but no one told him how many. To his amazement, the Quidditch stands were completely filled with every single person at Hogwarts. Through the beehive of crowds in the stands, he spotted Hermione, Princess Joy and Ron who told him they'd be there, Lee Jordan who was the announcer (though he graduated from Hogwarts, he volunteered to do the announcements for Quidditch while working at a sports radio station), and Madame Hooche, who volunteered to referee and supervise the duel. Also supervising the match were: Professor Dumbledore (who wanted to see his extremely great-granddaughter and one of his favourite students duel), Professor Snape (who was obviously cheering for Princess Glory and adored to see Harry be crushed), Hagrid (who wanted to see both his student friends), and all the other teachers. Harry also spotted Colin Creevey (who wanted to get a gigantic amount of pictures of the event), Princess Glory's friends: Ruth Simmore, Vicky Phlumer, Tiffany Sealious and Lucy Landerville, Dean Thomas, Ginny Weasley, Seamus Finnigan who was surprisingly cheering for Princess Glory (it was because of his crush on her) and Draco Malfoy and his cronies Crabbe and Goyle (Harry suspected they had the same intentions as Snape).   
  
Harry saw three rows of gigantic, long stands around the gigantic Quidditch area. One of the gigantic rows covering all the side area on the right were the seats for the ones who were cheering Harry on. On the left, there were the seats for the ones who were cheering Princess Glory on. The smaller one which was between the other seats were the seats for the staff and the speaker Lee Jordan. There was a big score board right over the teachers, which had two lit green bars, one under Harry's name and under Glory's name. Harry had practiced the whole night before, and he was ready.  
  
"Ready, Harry?" asked Princess Glory in a proud yet kind way.  
  
"Absolutely!"  
  
Madame Hooche walked between them both. She signaled them both to salute. Princess Glory's salute seemed very serious. Harry tried to make his as respectable and as honourable as possible, considering he was battling with wizard royalty. He was also a bit worried if he might injure the Princess badly which would be disrespectful. Then he thought again, and figured that it would most likely be him who would be injured badly.   
  
She blew her whistle and the duel began. The day before, Harry was told he would go first.   
  
"Expelliarmus!" shouted Harry as he waved his wand. A flash of scarlet light shot out in Princess Glory's direction. Princess Glory stepped aside as it passed her and flew passed everyone into the grounds.  
  
"Harry Potter has done the 'expelliarmus' spell and Princess Glory has dodged it," announced Lee Jordan.  
  
"-3 points for Harry Potter!" shouted Madame Hooche. The bar of light under Harry's name went down the slightest bit.  
  
"Is that the best you can do?" snickered Princess Glory. "Shotizarma!" she shouted as a powerful hyper beam of orange light shot him with a powerful push. Harry flew up into the air and smashed into the ground. His shoulder hurt very much after 'landing'.   
  
"Princess Glory has done the 'shotizarma' spell which has made Harry Potter shoot up in the air and crash to the ground," announced Lee Jordan.   
  
"-20 points for Harry Potter," said Madame Hooche. 20% more of the light had vanished from Harry's bar. Harry suddenly remembered the dueling spell that Malfoy put on him when snakes came out of his wand.  
  
"Serpensortia!" he shouted as a cobra spat out of his wand.  
  
"Harry has got up and done the snake spell, and-"  
  
Princess Glory yelped as the cobra bit her on the thumb.   
  
"Wow! Princess Glory has been bitten just a small bit!"  
  
"-10 points for Princess Glory!"  
  
Harry could tell that she didn't like snakes very much. Princess Glory hissed viciously, which seemed to make the cobra slither away. Harry was in shock and so was everyone else.  
  
"You're a Parselmouth?" asked Harry still in shock.  
  
"Of course!" said Princess Glory. "I'm familiar with a couple of other animal languages. It's actually a surprising gift I have - Sinkoritum!"  
  
Princess Glory quickly said a spell to Harry with a whip of her wand. Harry looked around to see the effect of the charm. Nothing was happening.  
  
"Princess Glory has released the sinking spell on Harry Potter and it seems that he is slowly seeping in the ground," said Lee Jordan.  
  
Harry was confused of what Lee said, but then realized what was happening and suddenly looked down. He was sinking in the ground!   
  
"Amazing!" said Lee Jordan.   
  
"-10 points for Harry!"  
  
Harry tried to get up, but couldn't. He tried remembering a spell to do.  
  
"Electrius!" he shouted as a lightning bolt shot out of his wand. Princess Gory ducked the bolt. She started shaking her head and tsking, as if disappointed.  
  
"Princess Glory has dodged the lightning bolt. Harry Potter is in hot water now!"  
  
"-2 points for Harry Potter!"  
  
"Iceatius!" she said as she waved her wand. For this spell, streaks of cold water had hit him. He looked at his legs (his feet were under the ground) and watched as ice was slowly forming on him and it was coming up as well.  
  
"A wonderful ice spell! I guess I was wrong, he's in cold water now!"   
  
"-15 points from Harry!"  
  
Harry was extremely cold. An idea appeared in his head. He knew what to do.  
  
"Firiniosum!"  
  
Fire flamed out of his wand which melted the ice on his legs. Princess Glory blew on the fire to put it out and it turned into smoke. Harry knew this duel wasn't going anywhere.  
  
"Harry has done a flame spell which melted the ice but unfortunately, Princess Glory has put out the flames. Poor Harry."  
  
"-4 points from Harry."   
  
Princess Glory let out a chuckle as she got her wand ready.  
  
"Arriosis!" she yelled as arrows spat our from her wand. Harry dodged the very fast arrows, which ripped past him quickly and hit the score board behind him.  
  
"Fantastic!" shouted Lee Jordan.   
  
"-4 points from Princess Glory!"  
  
"Not bad, Harry," said Princess Glory in an impressed manner. "Not bad."  
  
"You haven't seen anything yet!" said Harry. "Earthioquake-im!"  
  
Everything was calm for a second, until the ground started shaking. Everyone was holding onto their seats. Harry was released from the ground from that quicksand spell and Princess Glory lost her balance and fell. Her head hit the ground and banged on her wand.  
  
"Ow!"  
  
"Impressive! Harry has done an earthquake spell and Princess Glory has fallen and hit her head on her wand. That must hurt! Let me add to you that her wand his pure silver and pure gold with many diamonds and gems on it. Her wand contains many powerful ingredients."  
  
"-8 points for Her Royal Highness!"  
  
Harry looked at Princess Glory. She was steaming angry. She picked herself up with her hand on her head. Her eyes narrowed.  
  
"Think you're so great, eh? Bindinoasim!"   
  
Purple beams shot out of her wand and wrapped around Harry. He was binded together. He immediately started to get tired, as if the beams wrapped around him were sucking his energy.   
  
"Princess Glory has done a body binding spell which has binded Harry and is making him weaker at every moment."  
  
"-13 points for Harry Potter!"  
  
Why am I so tired? asked Harry. He was slowly weakening. With all his might, he held his wand, waved it as much as he could and said a spell on the top of his head.  
  
"Explodorius!" he yelled with all his might. A gigantic explosion came out of his wand. Harry knew he would have hit Princess Glory. Once the smoke disappeared, he couldn't see her.  
  
"Thought that would have done the trick, did you?"  
  
He looked around. Princess Glory was behind him.  
  
"Harry Potter has done an explosion spell. Princess Glory has dodged very quickly and hid behind Harry. Nice work, Your Royal Highness!"  
  
"-10 points to Harry Potter!"  
  
Princess Glory waved her wand.  
  
"Rockius!"  
  
Chunks of rock spat out of her wand. The rocks fell at his feet, and were forming onto his legs. He was slowly turning into rock! His legs felt extremely numb.   
  
"Her Royal Highness has done a rock forming spell, turning Harry into rock."  
  
"-25 points for Harry Potter!"  
  
Harry tried to take his focus off his pain. He looked at Princess Glory and concentrated.  
  
"Accio bolder!" he said. Princess Glory looked in confusion. Then she looked up as a rock was rocketing straight for her. Everyone gasped. The bolder was extremely close until she stuck out her hand. The bolder automatically paused in mid-air. There was a moment of silence until...  
  
"Explodis!"  
  
The bolder exploded all over Harry.  
  
"Amazing!" shouted Lee Jordan.  
  
"-15 points to Harry Potter! The game is over! Princess Glory wins!"  
  
The staff and the ones who were rooting for Princess Glory cheered with enthusiasm while the others groaned. Harry felt awful. Even though he was released from the rocks and body binds, he was tired, he was aching and worst of all, he lost. Some older students laid him on a stretcher to be brought to the Hospital Wing while the Princess was waving at all the cheering people.  
  
Harry was laid on a hospital bed while Madame Pomfrey quickly wiped his face with a warm towel, stuck a thermometer in his mouth and gave him some ice packs. Hermoine, Ron and Princess Joy rushed into the Infirmary to his bed side.  
  
"Harry! Harry! Are you all right?" shouted Ron.  
  
"He'll be fine," said Madame Pomfrey, "although he has had some rough damage to him. What exactly happened?"  
  
"He was dueling with Princess Glory, " answered Hermione.  
  
Madame Pomfrey's jaw dropped and her eyes widened.  
  
"My goodness! Thank heavens you're still alive! Princess Glory could have knocked the stuffing out of you way more than she has done this time! Well, I guess I can leave you three with him for a while."  
  
She left the room quickly and quietly. All of his friends' eyes were on him.  
  
"I can't believe what happened," said Hermione in shock.  
  
"I'm surprised too," said Princess Joy. "You did fantastic! A lot of world-class duelers have faced against her and have been in worse condition than you have!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Oh yes!"  
  
Suddenly, Princess Glory burst into the room and ran to Harry's bedside.  
  
"Harry, are you all right?" she said with worry in her voice.  
  
"Not much..."  
  
"Sorry, I tried to go as light on you as I could do. I'm terribly sorry you're hurt."  
  
"It's okay, I guess..."  
  
"Here, I wanted to give you this," she said as she pulled out a gigantic book called: Dueling: An Art of the Competitive, and handed it over to him. "I thought it might help you with your dueling. Even so, I think you did fabulous."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Where is Madame Pomfrey? I think I need to get some ice for my head and some medicine for my bite. I never knew it would hurt as much as this if my wand hit my head."  
  
"Remember what Lee Jordan said?" exclaimed Hermione. "Your wand is made of pure gold, pure silver, diamonds, jewels and all those substances inside your wand."  
  
"That's true."  
  
Madame Pomfrey came into the room with a glass of medicine. She looked up at Princess Glory.  
  
"Well hello, Princess Glory!" said Madame Pomfrey. "How are you? I guess you have noticed that Harry isn't so well. You gave him quite the knock out!"  
  
"I did try to do my best at not trying to hurt him much. By the way, I need some anti-biotic for my snake bite and some ice for my head. I banged my wand on my head by accident."  
  
"Oh dear... And that wand in particular as well! Well, of course. Here Harry, this is for you," she said as she handed him a glass of pinkish medicine (no, it wasn't Pepto Bismal!). "I'll go ahead and get those for you, Your Royal Highness."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Madame Pomfrey ran out of the room. Princess Glory turned to Harry.  
  
"So Harry, do you forgive me?"  
  
"Sure," said Harry, who despite his horrible pain, wasn't going to hold a grudge against her.  
  
"I'm glad to here that."  
  
Madame Pomfrey hurried into the room with an ice pack and band-aid with anti-biotic cream on it.  
  
"There's the ice pack you wanted," said Madame Pomfrey as she handed the ice pack to Princess Glory, "and this is for your snake bite."  
  
"Thanks," said Princess Glory as Madame Pomfrey put the bandage on her thumb. "I better go. Ruth, Vicky, Tiffany and Lucy and I have scheduled to meet at my dorm. I'm going to show them some of my newest inventions."  
  
"Oh....Thanks for the book!"  
  
"Don't mention it. Bye!"  
  
"Bye!"  
  
As Princess Glory sped out of the Infirmary, Harry put the glass of medicine down on the table next to him, laid his head on his pillow and moaned with ache.  
  
"Ow.... Well, if she can almost kill me, I guess she could have killed Voldemort!"  
  
**********  
  
By Monday, Harry had healed from his wounds and was up and running by the afternoon. Tuesday was the try-outs for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Harry posted up a notice in the Gryffindor common room about it in the hopes that some good Quidditch players would notice it. In fact, many students from the house attended. A lot of them stunk, and a lot of them were great. Harry thought that Princess Joy was the best Quidditch Beater he had ever seen. Harry hadn't seen Ginny play Seeker, but she was obviously a wonderful Beater as well.  
  
She's obviously got her brothers' talent for Quidditch, thought Harry.  
  
He was also impressed by Dean Thomas' athletic ability. Dean Thomas was amazing at handling the Quaffle. He found out that Seamus Finnigan was quite a good Chaser, so they were both made Chasers. A 3rd year girl named Danielle Ringum was chosen as the other Chasers as well.   
  
By Thursday evening, Harry had finally made the decision of who were the new Quidditch team members on the Gryffindor team. He posted the list of students who made it. For Beaters, he chose Ginny and Princess Joy. For Chasers, he had picked Seamus Finnigan, Danielle Ringum and Dean Thomas.   
  
The first Quidditch game was on Friday of that week, so Princess Joy signed out the pitch for the team. Everyone was to meet in the center-field with their Quidditch robes on, where they would discuss their plan and would practice. Everyone was ready and excited for the first Quidditch practice of the year. All of their members showed up on time.   
  
Though everyone in the team was pretty excited to play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Harry had something else on his mind. He was tearing his hair out the night before, thinking of a plan for the Quidditch team. He knew the Slytherins were extremely sly and would do anything to win. Harry had to make sure it would be a fair game which they would definitely win.  
  
Harry met up with all the other Quidditch team members, looking very eager, in the center field on Friday.  
  
"Okay teammates, I figured out a plan for this season," announced Harry to his team. "For our plan, each member will pick someone on the other team to block. Try and follow them as much as possible and try to block their way of the Quaffle. Chasers, stop following them as soon as you've got the Quaffle. Once they've got the Quaffle again, you go back to following them. Beaters, don't worry too much about this. Just try and get the Bludgers out of the field, so you won't have to jump at them once they get to the goals. The only time I would think it would be okay to hit a player on the other team is if that person would be cheating or doing something bad. Maybe you could do that when they have the Quaffle and we're losing big time. And no, Ron, we're not going to be hitting the Bludgers at Malfoy, though we'd very much like too. I was told from Professor McGonagall that you tried to do that last year."  
  
"Oh.... But it'll be so fun!" groaned Ron. "Besides, he's likely to be cheating."  
  
"Don't worry about him," responded Harry. "I'll go after him myself. He's the Seeker and I'm the Seeker, so I would be blocking him anyway. I'll try not to catch the Snitch too soon. I'll block the Snitch away from Malfoy as much as possible until we get 50 points. Will you all remember that?"  
  
Everyone nodded.  
  
"Great! Let's go play!"  
  
Everyone cheered, got on their brooms and flew up into the air. Harry released the Snitch, Bludgers and Quaffle into the air. It would be Harry's first time on his new Stella Velocita 29. He was impressed of how smoothly it flew, and yet it flew very quickly. It was very easy to control as well. He looked over at Princess Joy's broom; it was a Stella Velocita 32! Harry asked her about the broom, and she said that she had just got it this year. She also mentioned that her sister had the Stella Velocita 31, although she barely used it. Harry flew to Ginny to see what kind of broom he had. To his amazement, it was a Nimbus 2001!  
  
"Hey Ginny, how'd you get that Nimbus 2001?" asked Harry curiously. "It's surprising that you've got a better broom that Ron."  
  
"Oh, a friend gave it to me," said Ginny.  
  
"Which friend?"  
  
"Princess Glory."  
  
"You're friends with her?"  
  
"Of course she is! She's practically my idol! She's so smart, and she helps me a lot with my homework. I met her one day at the library. She gave me great pointers for an essay I was doing, and she's been helping me ever since!"  
  
"Is the broom yours for good?"  
  
"Yep, she said I could keep it. She already got a new broom this year, and she had another good broom too, so she didn't need this one."  
  
"Wow, she seems pretty nice."  
  
"She sure is!"  
  
The Gryffindors had a long practice which ended until 9:30 at night. Harry was exhausted and went upstairs. He had a confident feeling that they were going to do well this year.  
  
Author's Note: PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE REVIEW!!!! 


	8. Dating at Hogwarts

Harry Potter   
  
and the Princesses for Magic  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, and all the other things I mentioned in the other disclaimers.  
  
Author's Note: Hey readers! As you know, this is the 8th chapter of this story. In this story, Harry feels that he wants Cho back, and starts going out again, and even Ron starts dating! Basically, it's all about dating. Yeah, I know this story's action/adventure/mystery, but this certain chapter's kinda romance. Oh, and note to flamers: please think of your manners, and try not to give flames. It's very rude and disrespectful, and I believe that if you have nothing good to say, don't say it. Of course, suggestions are always welcome, and so are light comments. It's not that all I want are cute and nice reviews, I just don't want to read a flame completely trashing something that I've worked by bum off for more than a year. So I'd appreciate if you don't give flames. Fire is scary!  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Dating at Hogwarts  
  
Harry couldn't stop thinking of Cho Chang all week. He remembered his 4th year at Hogwarts when he tried to ask Cho Chang to the Yule Ball, and found out that she was going with Cedric Diggory. Cedric was killed at the end of the year by the evil Lord Voldemort who had gained power. It was probably one of the reasons why Cho had wanted to hook up with Harry before, and she was pretty moody about it when they were together. Though it didn't work out the year before, Harry thought it might work out this time. He now knew what it was like to lose a loved one, so he could almost feel Cho's pain. He hadn't heard of any other new boyfriends that she had, so Harry was thinking that it might be his lucky day.  
  
Harry stared across the library at Cho who was reading an issue of Teen Witch and showing her friends the hair style tips in an article. Harry was completely caught up in his love trance, until Ron gave him a nudge on the shoulder.  
  
"Harry, what's wrong?" questioned Ron, staring at Harry as if he was acting very strangely. "You looked like you were petrified. That Basilisk isn't back, is it?"  
  
"No," said Harry, mad that Ron was trying to be funny about something that wasn't. "No, it isn't back."  
  
"Oh, Joy is so lucky!" sighed Hermoine. "She gets to look in the restricted section, although she didn't go there today." Hermione turned around to Joy with a frustrated and envious expression. "Why didn't you go?"  
  
"Actually, I haven't gone at all," said Joy, looking up from a book about potions for hair care (and by the way, her hair was in one long side-ponytail). "There isn't anything there that I like. By the way, Hermione, I found a book about the first reigning Wizard Monarch. It's quite a long book."  
  
Princess Joy bent down to a pile of books under her chair, and once sitting back up, slammed an extremely large (and supposedly heavy) book on the table.  
  
"Did the author write 15 pages for every day of the Wizard Monarch's life?" asked Ron in a shocked look.  
  
"Actually, the author only wrote 2 pages for every year, more if something very important happened."  
  
"So how many pages are there?" asked Harry.  
  
"I think I saw the number of pages when I first looked at it. Let me remember. I think it was... Yes, it was 2894 pages."  
  
"That's almost 3000 pages!" shouted Ron.  
  
The librarian, who was angry that Ron shouted, scolded at them to be quiet. Afterwards, they tried to whisper as much as possible.  
  
"How long do Magic Kings and Queens live?" whispered Ron.  
  
"Don't you remember?" whispered Hermione. "During his beginning speech, Dumbledore said the average life span of a Wizard Monarch is 1000 years old."  
  
"Yikes!" whispered Ron in a high-pitched tone. "You're going to outlive my grandkids, if I have any..."  
  
"I know, I get scared about that once in a while," sighed Joy. "By the time I'm middle-aged, which is 500 years old, all my other friends will be dead."  
  
"How badly are you going to wrinkle?" asked Ron.  
  
"Ron, what a stupid question!" said Harry.  
  
"I'm curious!"  
  
"If you want to know the truth, I won't get wrinkles, and I'll never really age. I just look older, but I never get wrinkles or any other side-affects from aging. Of course, some Monarch Wizards or Witches will. It depends on the blood type. If your blood type is positive, you won't really get aging side-affects. If your blood type is negative, you'll look older. It's something Merlin discovered."  
  
"Wicked!"  
  
"What about your husband?" asked Hermione.  
  
"He'll be able to live only up to 700 years. When I marry, my husband will rule as what they will call a 'Minor King' and will be crowned. He will get to rule by my side, but only a tiny bit because my sister and I are going to be doing most of the work. For the ceremony, they will be able to drink this very special potion, which makes you live longer. It has some mild Elixir of Life in it, which means you will never die for a very long while. The potion can't work unless the crowned Queen or King does a spell to make it work, which can only be done on the coronation. My husband would then be able to live for 700 years. Of course, depending on your health and how you use your magic, you can end up living only 500 years."  
  
"Bloody breathtaking, I must say!" said Ron.  
  
"Wow!" said Hermione.  
  
"It's hard to believe that's true," remarked Harry.  
  
"So, who's the guy this book is written about?" asked Ron.  
  
"It's the first Wizard Monarch; King Mentuhotep IV, though his real name was   
  
Ramsi-tun-kati, which means Son-of-the Strength God, so his nick-name was Strength. He was an Egyptian pharaoh. Muggle archeologists say he wasn't part of the royal family, but he was. He was just one of the minor royals. It was because he was a different king, that he was a Wizard King. Of course, all Egyptian pharaohs were wizards and witches. That's why the peasants thought them as gods. In Muggle research, it says that he might have abdicated early, and that was true; he abdicated so he could pursue his job as king of the wizarding world. They even faked his death so that everyone would think he was a Muggle.   
  
"They put his tomb in a secret pyramid underneath the ground. It has a secret code that is almost impossible to break. Only the wizard banks have it. It's also protected by extremely powerful curses. There's also a maze as well. If a Muggle goes near the entrance, they are automatically transported somewhere far away. If some wizard was trying to get in there for a wrong purpose, the curse would magically detect it and they would be sent off even farther, sometimes in another city!"  
  
"Strange..."  
  
"Who were the other Wizard Monarchs?" asked Hermione.  
  
"The next one was King Solomon. Yes, he was a wizard, though we're not sure if he's a pureblood or that one of his ancestors were Muggle-born. His nickname was 'Wisdom', though if you've heard of King Solomon, you can tell that must be obvious.   
  
"There was also Merlin. He's the most famous one. Actually, his nickname was 'Enchant'."  
  
"As in the nickname, 'Prince of Enchanters'?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Exactly!" said Joy. "Not many people know that. He was probably the greatest Magic Monarch, which is why he's so popular.  
  
"It's strange, but we're the only ones that our official titles are descriptive words. I guess that's because the other Monarchs of Magic lived in the Muggle world, and they had to have Muggle names so no one would get suspicious.  
  
"Since I'm finished explaining that, let's talk about some happy news," brought up Princess Joy. "What about... Hogsmeade! We're going there in a week! I haven't been there in such a long time. I think the last time I was there was when my sister and I were 4 years old and Nono Albus brought us there while we were vacationing in England. "My sister and I added new features to the village a couple of weeks before the war. Now, Hogsmeade has a gigantic library, a styling salon, one of my mother's wardrobe boutiques, a gizmo store, Quidditch store, a museum of witch and wizard cultures around the world, a place where you can use computagrams and a large statue of my sister and I."  
  
"What's a computagram?" asked Hermione.  
  
"What?" gasped Joy. "You don't know what a computagram is?"  
  
All three, Hermione, Ron and Harry, shook their heads in a perplexed manner.  
  
"Oh dear, more explaining!" moaned Joy. "Hermione and Harry know a bit what a computagram is like. It's like a Muggle computer, except quicker, easier, more techno- looking and you can tell it what to do, although half of the time you're typing and clicking things. If your font keeps on changing, you can make it stop. I'm not too great at working them for some reason. A computagram can't get viruses either. There's also a wizard Internet, and it's a lot safer than the Muggle Internet. It's illegal to put bad stuff there, and every day there is someone who checks the Internet and they can find out very quickly who put something bad on the Internet."  
  
"It sounds so interesting," remarked Hermione.  
  
"And you know that Three Broomsticks place where they sell those Butterbeers?" asked Joy.  
  
"Yeah, we love that place!" said Ron.  
  
"Well, now it's a family and lounging restaurant. I've been hearing that because of the change, they've been having fantastic business."  
  
"Really?" asked Harry. "That's great."  
  
Harry and his friends left the library for the Great Hall where lunch was being served. Harry still couldn't get his mind off of Cho Chang. As he ate his meal, he made quick glances at her; he couldn't bear to not look at her.   
  
For lunch, there was chicken and gravy, zucchini croquettes and pizza. Harry didn't eat pizza very often, and the Dursleys barely ate it at all. It was quite delightful; it had a crunchy crust, gooey cheese, delicious toppings and a fantastic sauce. Harry wondered why he didn't eat pizza more often.  
  
No wonder it's so popular, thought Harry. Ron gobbled down 8 slices of pizza. But while Ron was inhaling as much pizza as he could, Harry was watching Cho Chang laughing, chatting and eating with her friends.   
  
"Harry, what are you looking at?" asked Ron.  
  
Harry, who had yet again been in another trance, staring at Cho, quickly put his thoughts together and realized Ron had spoken to him.  
  
"N-nothing," stuttered Harry shyly. "Just, nothing."  
  
Once the student body had finished their meal and were getting up to go back to their week-end leisure, Ron pulled Harry aside. Harry became frustrated at Ron that he was tugging him away from everyone.  
  
"What are you doing?" questioned Harry angrily. "Let me go!"  
  
"No!" responded Ron strictly. "I need to speak to you privately."  
  
Ron had dragged Harry by his arm (with Harry trying to tug away furiously) and pulled Harry into the boys' washrooms. When Ron let go of Harry's arm, Ron leaned seriously onto the washroom wall while Harry stood aside trying to get the blood flowing through his arm again. His arm felt quite sore. Ron looked up at Harry with a concerned look.  
  
"What's happening?" asked Ron. "This week you've been staring into space, not paying attention and just drifting off, and drifting off from all of your friends, including me! What's the deal?"  
  
"There's no deal," answered Harry. "I've got things on my mind, that's all."  
  
"Really? Things on your mind? Why don't you tell me? I think I ought to know when my best friend's spacing out all of a sudden."  
  
"It's nothing serious," stated Harry.  
  
"How am I to know that, Harry?"  
  
"It's nothing!"  
  
"Then tell me!"  
  
"Fine!" said Harry, who thought that it ought to be time that he tell Ron about his feelings for Cho. "Ron?"  
  
"Yes, Harry?"  
  
"I-" Suddenly, Harry had a sudden thought. "Is anyone else in here?"  
  
As the question was called out, Neville Longbottom, who looked quite embarrassed, came out of one of the stalls.   
  
"Sorry," apologized Neville. "I'll leave."  
  
Neville was about to run out of the room when Harry stopped him.  
  
"Neville?" asked Harry. "Aren't you forgetting something?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You forgot to wash your hands, you loof!"  
  
"Oy! Thanks for reminding me! If my Gramms ever found out, I'd be scolded at big time!"  
  
Neville, who ran to the sink embarrassingly, quickly turned on the tap, washed his hands, dried them and flew out the washroom. Harry and Ron turned back to their conversation.  
  
"As I was saying... Ron, if I tell you this, you'll have to swear that you won't ridicule me of anything. Promise?"  
  
"Absolutely!" said Ron. "You know I'd never do anything like that to you, mate!"  
  
"Well....You see....It's just that..... I have new feelings for Cho Chang, I want her back."  
  
Ron's eyes widened and his jaw dropped in disbelief.  
  
"Are you serious?" asked Ron. "After all that moping and-"  
  
"Yeah, I know I broke up with her because of that, but now I know how it feels to lose a loved one. Ron, I feel the same way Cho does, maybe even worse, by losing Sirius. I can relate to her now."  
  
"Hey, if you think you have another chance with her, go for it! It did seem like she was madly in love with you last year."  
  
"It was, wasn't it? Thanks for understanding."  
  
"No problem! Oh, and Harry?"  
  
"Uh huh?"  
  
"I have to tell you something too....." said Ron, looking a bit bashful (his cheeks became rosy). "I...I have a crush on Joy."  
  
"I know."  
  
"WHAT?!?!?"  
  
"Gee Ron, calm yourself down! We don't want everyone in the castle hearing. Do you want Snape to hear you?"  
  
"No, but..... how come you know?"  
  
"Ron, isn't it obvious? Your face glows so much that it can block out the sun when Joy winks or speaks to you. No offense, of course."  
  
"I should have known you'd know. It's visible, isn't it? But..... She's a beauty! And is she ever clever! Maybe even smarter than Hermione, and yet she's still not bossy. She always makes me smile. Best of all, she actually likes red-heads!"  
  
"Are you going to ask her out?"  
  
"Me?" spoke Ron in astonishment. "Me? I, Ron Weasley, of the red-headed, cheapo Weasleys, ask out Her Royal Highness Princess Joysinious Mary Anastasia Matilda Cleopatra Dumbledore-Illiermo, future-Queen of the World of Magic?"  
  
"Hey, you memorized that?"  
  
"I sure have!"  
  
"Whatever........"  
  
"But how can I ask her out? Her family probably wants her to marry some rich, pure-blood, brilliant wizard."  
  
"Ron, we're talking about Professor Dumbledore's family here."  
  
"That's another scary part. She's Dumbledore's really-great-granddaughter. That's uncomfortable, you know. He'll probably be watching my every step so I won't break her heart or something, not that I will."  
  
"You have nothing to worry about, Ron! She likes red-heads, remember? Just ask her out. If she says yes, then everything's all right. If she says no, then it wasn't meant to be. You'll find some other girl."  
  
"You're right," sighed Ron. "So, you're going to ask Cho out, again?"  
  
"Sure. Are you going to ask out Joy?"  
  
"I- I guess so. Do you want to ask them right now? If you're asking someone on a date the same time as me, I won't feel so alone."  
  
"Absolutely! Come on, let's go."  
  
The boys, with a new confidence, headed out of the washroom and split up to get dates. Harry went to go find Cho, and after searching, spotted her talking with her friends in the hall. Harry, after taking a deep breath, went up to her.  
  
"Uhmm....Cho?" he asked.  
  
Cho turned around and gave Harry a warm smile.  
  
"Yes, Harry?"  
  
"I.... Can I talk to you for a minute?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Harry brought Cho in an empty classroom to talk to her privately. Cho looked at Harry in a perplexed way.   
  
"Cho? I wanted to ask you something."  
  
"Go ahead and ask. What's your question?"  
  
"I- er..... Would you like to go on a date with me?"  
  
"I was wondering if you'd ask me out again. Sure I'd like to."  
  
"That- that's wonderful!" said Harry happily. "We could have our date when we go to Hogsmeade. I'll meet you at The Three Broomsticks as soon as we get off the train."  
  
"Sure!"  
  
"Okay, see you then!"   
  
"Great, I can't wait!"  
  
Cho skipped out of the classroom and to her friends to tell them what happened. As no one was in the room, Harry did a little jig and whispered 'Yes!' excitedly and hurried out of the room. He tried to find Ron and see what happened to him when he asked Princess Joy out. He found Ron talking to Princess Joy who was smiling ear to ear. Ron was stuttering a lot.  
  
"Uhm... J-j-joy?"  
  
"Yes, Ronnie?" said Joy in a perky fashion.  
  
"I w-w-wanted to ask you, w-would you like to g-go on a d-date with m-me?"  
  
Princess Joy's face lit up as she gasped excitedly and giggled girlishly.  
  
"Oh, Ron!" she exclaimed. "I thought you'd never ask!"  
  
At this moment, she jumped onto Ron and hugged him tightly, and leaped back with an even bigger smile.  
  
"I've been wanting to date you since I met you. I would love to go on a date with you!"  
  
Ron was completely astonished and he had such a smile on his face as if he'd won the lottery (Muggle-term speaking, of course).  
  
"R-really!?!" stuttered Ron amazed. "That's wonderful!"  
  
Harry was proud that his best friend was going on his first date, and that he, Harry, was going on a date as well. Ron and Joy spoke about where their date would be, and once finished, Ron walked away. He quickly found Harry close by and ran up to him.  
  
"Harry!" exclaimed Ron. "Harry, did you see?"  
  
"I did," answered Harry. "Congratulations! So, are you and Joy going to be having your date at Hogsmeade?"  
  
"No," answered Ron. "I suggested it, but she said that she was going to run a check of all the shops and boutiques to see how everything's doing. Plus, she wants to go on a 'shopping spree'. She told me that she adores shopping and she feels like she's going to crack because she hasn't been shopping in so long. It's only been a month!"  
  
"Yeah, I've heard that some girls can't live without shopping."  
  
"Are you and Cho Chang going on a date at Hogsmeade?" asked Ron.  
  
"Yep, we are. First we're going to meet at The Three Broomsticks where we're going to have lunch. After, we're going to explore through the stores and things like that. I'm thinking that after we come back here and have our dinner, we can go outside and go on a paddle boat in the moat under the stars. It would be really romantic."  
  
"It would be! We're going to have dinner as well. Joy volunteered to arrange the dinner. I'm not sure what she has planned for dinner though. After, I'm going to try and see if Joy and I can go on a carriage ride through the grounds. It's kind of like your idea, but on land. I can't stand that moat. It gets me scared, especially that giant squid. Yuck!"  
  
"Well, I guess- Oh hello, Princess Glory!"  
  
Both Harry and Ron turned around to Princess Glory approaching them with her usual honourable and wise grin.  
  
"Hello, Ron and Harry," she greeted. "How are you both doing today?"  
  
"Great! I asked your sister out and Harry's going out with Cho Chang. You know her, don't you?"  
  
"Oh! You're both going on dates. And Harry's going with... Cho?" she said in a confused and disappointed look. It was as if she was shocked or disappointed and wasn't quite sure what to say. She sounded a bit odd to Harry when she said 'Cho'. Harry had a feeling she didn't like Cho Chang that much. She bit her lip slightly and tightened her hand on her large necklace she always wore.  
  
"Yep!" responded Ron delightedly. "And Harry and I were wondering if maybe you could ask Professor Dumbledore if he could use a paddle boat, the moat, a carriage and the grounds for one evening for our dates, if that's not too much. We need them for our dates."  
  
"Er...I guess so. It seems a bit off from the rules, but I guess I could ask."  
  
Harry knew that Princess Glory didn't really want to. She seemed a bit obligated to do this and she was only doing it so they could be pleased. Harry felt that maybe Ron shouldn't have suggested it, but Harry did really want to go on a boat ride with Cho.  
  
"I'll check with the Headmaster. I-I guess I'll be going now," said Princess Glory. "Good bye!"  
  
"Bye!"  
  
"See you!"  
  
********  
  
Harry was extremely excited and even apprehensive for the upcoming date. Harry had given his permission slip to Professor McGonagoll a week before. He wrote to Remus about the date and Remus wrote a letter back congratulating him. He gave him a few pointers in the letter as well. Remus also sent some eau de cologne Harry could use. Harry had put on the eau de cologne, which smelled lovely.  
  
Cho is going to love my cologne, thought Harry. He also took out the present he would give Cho. Lupin delivered a box of chocolates and a stuffed owl holding a heart with his last letter to Harry which he could give to Cho. Harry couldn't wait to give it to her.  
  
Harry skipped downstairs with joy to the Gryffindor table where everyone was being served breakfast. His friends were already sitting there. He sat right next to Princess Joy, who had put her hair in a simple bun (it looked a lot better than Professor McGonagoll's bun, might I add).   
  
"Harry, what took you so long?" asked Joy, as she put some bacon in her plate.  
  
"I was getting ready for my date," replied Harry, as he slapped a fluffy pancake on his platter. "I'm so excited."  
  
"Isn't your date in about 4 hours?" asked Hermione suspiciously (which by the way, Harry and Ron had told about their dates to Hermione happily, though it was obvious that she didn't care as much as they did).  
  
"Well...yeah... But I couldn't help getting ready."  
  
"You're wearing eau de cologne," remarked Joy, taking a gentle sniff. "It smells very nice. I like Ron's cologne too. He put on my favourite."  
  
"Breeze of a Sunny Day for Men!" stated Ron.  
  
"My sister likes this eau to cologne called eau d'intelligence pendant des jours de l'hiver pour les hommes. It's from France, and she just loves that smell."  
  
"It's a very long name," remarked Harry. "What does it mean in English?"  
  
"If you translate it, it means 'water of intelligence during the days of winter for men'. So, what's the cologne you put on?"  
  
"It's called Sprinkled Waterfall, eau de cologne," remembered Harry.  
  
"That's a very expensive brand in London!" gasped Hermione. "I saw a bottle of that for 100 pounds in a mall. You're lucky."  
  
"Remus picked it out for me. Despite that he barely had any money for a long time, he still has great taste."  
  
He finished his breakfast, ran upstairs and got ready all over again (just a bit pathetic, eh?). He brushed his teeth rigorously and even cleansed his mouth with mouth-wash. Afterwards, he combed his hair (not that it did much) and put on more cologne. He checked himself at the end and practiced talking to Cho Chang so many times it would make anyone's head spin.   
  
By lunch, his confidence broke down into angst that he was as nervous as anyone could imagine. He ran down the stairs and into the common room where all the Gryffindors going to Hogmseade were streaming out and on their way to the train. Passed the queue of students and into the grounds he trotted nervously to the train. Harry couldn't find Cho Chang at all, but managed to catch up with Ron, Hermione and Joy.  
  
"Harry, you're here finally!" exclaimed Princess Joy. "I was starting to get worried about you!"  
  
"I got ready all over again," mentioned Harry, "and now I feel nervous."  
  
"Don't worry, Harry!" encouraged Hermione. "You've been out with Cho before. It's not the end of the world. You'll be fine!"  
  
All four of them walked to the steam train blowing and hooting rigorously as the students loaded onto it. Though Harry was walking to the compartments where everyone else was going, Harry's friends were heading to some quite different and extremely decorated cars in the front of the train. Harry didn't know what was going on, nor did he know what those cars were.  
  
"Hey!" called out Harry. "Where are you going?"  
  
"To the royal cars, of course!" said Hermione. "Don't you see the coat of arms?"  
  
Harry, who was excited to go into the royal cars though disappointed not to be able to find Cho, looked up at the cars.   
  
There were two magnificent royal cars at the front. The one at the very front was painted a royal blue with a magnificent gold vine design and a coat of arms with a hippigryph in armour standing like a human with Princess Glory's sword (the one she used in battle), two black unicorns, a flame and a tiara with Princess Glory's name engraved on it. The train closer to them and was behind the first one was a mauve colour with a golden vine design as well but instead had a hippogryph with its wings spread wide across, two white unicorns, gems and jewels, a wave of water and a tiara stating Princess Joy's name.   
  
They boarded the car with its door already opened to welcome the Princess and her friends, and once they were inside they were struck with awe. The whole entire car was beautifully decorated and looked like a gigantic living room filled with stylish Italian furniture, stereos, a TV (which Harry didn't know why it'd be in a wizard train, but didn't say anything), paintings of her and a few stuffed animals. The walls were painted a soft beige and the floor was a darker toned wall-to-wall carpet. Inside was a staff of waiters and waitresses ready to serve the ones inside. Harry gazed at everything marvelously, and glared at the leather and earth-tone coloured seats and the modern-style Italian marble table with squares of different soft colours. Hermione looked absolutely fascinated and Ron looked as if it was the first and best room he had ever seen in his life.  
  
As soon as they regained their senses, they all sat down somewhere. While Harry sat on a fashionable leather couch, Hermione took a seat on a soft green-fabric bench which had covered one side of the room, Ron sat on the light yellow bean-bag chair carefully as if the minute he moved too rougly the chair would burst with beans, and Princess Joy sat in her egg-shaped dome seat with wheels. Harry, Hermione and Ron would all agree it looked very modern and yet very stylish.   
  
"What do you think?" asked Joy with a smile.  
  
"It's amazing!" shouted Ron with a gasp of air (it seemed like the others couldn't say anything they liked it so much).  
  
"I glad you like it," said Joy with a giggle. "I love when my rooms look like this. My sister thinks my style is tacky. She likes that 17th, 18th century luxury kind of style, like a Queen Elizabeth I style or Marie Antoinette kind-of-thing. I don't like it much. It is quite pretty, but we should all move on with the times and not make our rooms look ancient. If that's what she likes, I guess I shouldn't bother her.   
  
"Did you know how much of a fuss she made when we were talking where our cars should go? I wanted to go in the back because it feels wobbly and like a roller coaster. My sister though, said that the back is always 3rd class, that only farmers with pitch-forks and hobos ride in the back of the train where cargo's kept, as if that's realistic, and that the front is always more luxurious. In the end, she won because she also gets queezy in the back. I couldn't go in the back while she was in the front because it shows us as equals, that we'll reign together... blablabla....."   
  
"Appetizers, sir?" asked a waiter to Harry, who was holding a tray of cookies, sweets and tea sandwiches.  
  
"No thank you," responded Harry.  
  
Other waiters and waitresses were handing out appetizers. Ron took a whole handful of sweets as Joy squeaked with laughter at how many he took. Hermione took a few tea sandwiches and a cookie.  
  
"My, these are delicious!" said Hermione, finishing her tea sandwich. "I love these sandwiches. What's in them?"  
  
"Honey mustard, lettuce, sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, cucumbers and Italian bacon all gently toasted until it is crispy yet tender," answered the waitress automatically.  
  
"I'm glad you like them," said Joy. "You can have the recipe. I love these sandwiches as well. I always order them at all my parties."  
  
"Your cookies are good as well," said Ron, after he had swallowed one of his cookies. "Are they from your country?"  
  
"A few of them are, and some of them are just delicately-made cookies for the rich. I don't like it how so many rich people get the best food in the world when most of the others who aren't rich appreciate them even more. If I had a choice, I would wish every single person on this earth could have as great cookies and treats as the ones who can afford it. When I become Queen with PG, I would like to have a banquet in each city for everyone to come to and would have the greatest meal of all. And after, everyone can bring the leftovers home."  
  
"I like the idea of that!" said Ron. "And did you just say, PG?"  
  
"Oh, that's my nickname for my sister. She says she wants to be called Princess, though that's just recently. So in a way, I'm still stating her title and yet it's still a nickname. She whines that she wants to be called Princess at all times, but everyone close to her calls her Glory anyway. She never used to be this fussy, it started at the end of August. I like the nickname 'PG' though!"  
  
"Me too!"  
  
The car jerked a bit. Slowly, the car started moving and so did the other cars on the train. After a while, the whole entire train was gliding along the train tracks as it headed to Hogsmeade. They chatted, nibbled on a few snacks and chatted some more. The ride to Hogmeade seemed very quick to Harry. In about less than an hour, the train had slowed down and immediately Hogwarts students were getting ready to load off the cars. Everyone in Princess Joy's car were escorted out of the train. Harry grabbed his presents and held on tight to them as he came off the train and headed The Three Broomsticks where he would meet Cho Chang.   
  
Once he was at the restaurant, Harry stood in the doorway to peak at everyone in there. The restaurant had been nicely decorated, and he saw a lot of the Hogwarts students snatching tables before someone else had taken them. Even though the clutter in the restaurant was grand, there was one free table in the corner that had a sign that said 'reserved'. Harry had asked Princess Glory as well to reserve a table for him and Cho since she had access to every store in the wizard village. Harry looked around even more. At a large, round table, sat Hermione, Joy and Ron. Ron gestured Harry to come over to their table. Harry did so and sat at one of the empty chairs (there were quite a few other empty chairs at the table).   
  
"Hey guys," said Harry. "Have you got any ideas of what you guys are going to do first?"  
  
"My goodness, I have a whole day planned out!" responded Joy with enthusiasm. "First, we're going to my mother's boutique where I'm going to get Hermione, Ron and myself a whole new wardrobe."  
  
"Joy," murmured Ron uncomfortably, "I never really liked shopping."  
  
"Oh no, Ronnie! You're getting some new clothes and that's final! Anyway, then we're going to the shoe store, then Zonko's Joke Shop, Honeydukes, then to the salon, then we're going to the computagram library where we're going to meet up with my sister-"  
  
"Well don't you three have an extremely busy day!" said Harry.  
  
"I'm going to have to check every store today anyway so I might as well shop everywhere. My sister's inspecting every store to the right and I'm inspecting every store to the left and when we get to the middle (that's the computagram library) we're going to check it together."  
  
"Speaking of which, here comes your sister now!" said Ron.  
  
Princess Glory, who was with her four friends, spotted her sister and marched to the table with her group while staring at Joy with an angry look (though her friends looked a bit shy, not angry).  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be doing something?" demanded Princess Glory.  
  
"You didn't expect me to start inspecting every single shop as soon as I got off my car, did you?" asked Joy.  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"I want to have fun! Give it a rest. It's lunch! Plus, I'm expecting the restaurant so as we speak!"  
  
"Well...if you're eating here," sighed Princess Glory in an I-give-up tone, "I guess I could have a bite as well."  
  
Princess Glory and her friends sat on the empty chairs and opened up some menus just as Madam Rosmerta walked to their table.  
  
"Hello, sweethearts!" said Madam Rosmerta with her writing pad and quill out. She quickly glared at the Princesses in an honoured look. "Princess Joy! Princess Glory! So nice to see you! Can I take your orders?"  
  
"Of course!" said Princess Joy. "Let me see, I'll have the pepperoni personal-pan pizza."  
  
"I'll have.... the roast beef combo," ordered Ron.  
  
"I'll have the chicken breast fillet with a side of hash brown," said Hermione.  
  
"And what will you have to drink?" asked Madam Rosmerta.  
  
"We'll have 3 medium Butterbeers," answered Princess Joy.  
  
"Would you like anything, Harry?"  
  
"No thanks. I'm going to have my lunch once Cho Chang gets here."  
  
"All right. And Her Royal Highness Princess Glory! What would you like?"  
  
"I know! I know!" shouted the blonde, pig-tailed Lucy Landerville.  
  
"No, I know!" argued the freckled, cherry blonde-haired Tiffany Sealious.  
  
"You don't know anything," said the chubby brunette with the puffy ponytail named Vicky Phlumer.  
  
"I know what she wants!" said Ruth Simmore proudly who was a fragile, small girl (actually everyone looked small compared to Princess Glory) who had long black hair.   
  
"Calm down!" shouted Princess Glory. "I'll have a large plate of stir-fried lamb and potatoes with a bacon club sandwich, cherry tart and a bowl of mushroom soup."  
  
"My, my, my... I can see you're hungry!" remarked Madam Rosmerta. "And what would you like to drink?"  
  
"A bottle of Fizzy-up Vinkshin Soda."  
  
"That's a pretty fizzy drink!" commented Madam Rosmerta. "What would you four young ladies like?"   
  
"A bowl of mushroom soup and Butterbeers for all four of us," said Ruth.  
  
"By the way, how's business doing?" brought up Princess Joy.  
  
"It's doing fantastic!" said Madame Rosmerta. "We've never had so many customers. That family restaurant idea and those menus did a great deal of help. I'll be ready for any of your inspections after your meal."  
  
She left their table and went behind the counter. In only a minute she came back with her arms full of plates and her fingers clinging on to drinks.  
  
"Here you go," she said as she laid down all the plates, including the gigantic plate and bowl for Princess Glory.   
  
"Whoa!" gasped Ron. "Are you going to eat all that?"  
  
"Yes!" said Princess Glory in an angry tone.  
  
"What's that Fizz-down Vishin stuff you ordered?" joked Ron.  
  
"It's called Fizzy-up Vinkshin Soda," stated Vicky. "It's a Canadian-Russian soda with an extremely large amount of bubbles and fizz. Princesss Glory really likes Russia and Canada, they're her favourite vacation spots."  
  
"Thank you for stating that, Victoria," thanked Princess Glory. "Now, let me dig in!"  
  
She started what seemed like inhaling the food and drink before you could say 'gobbled up' while her friends sipped their soups slowly. Ron, Joy, Hermione and Harry watched as the soda sizzled down her throat.  
  
"How strong is that soda?" asked Harry.  
  
"Why don't you try it?" suggested Princess Glory. She poured some of the drink into an extra cup, which bubbled and sizzled like a deadly potion, and gave it to Harry. The drink was bubbling mad in the glass. Harry gulped it down and was shocked at the taste. It tasted like gigantic, sizzling bubbles were leaking down his throat, 10 times fizzier than the ginger ale he thought was too bubbly. It had a taste of maple syrup which seemed quite delightful.   
  
"Well, look who it is! The new Gryffindor Quidditch captain! What's wrong Harry? Snitch got your tongue?"  
  
Harry turned around; it was Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. Harry's friends looked at him in disgust while Lucy, Ruth, Vicky and Tiffany looked up at them with a scared look as Princess Glory was still busy stuffing her face with the food.  
  
"I'm captain, you've got a problem with that, Malfoy?" barked Harry.  
  
"No Potter, not at all. In fact, I thought it would be a problem to you. As a matter of fact, I'm the new Slytherin Quidditch captain."  
  
All of their eyes opened wide. Malfoy was the new captain for Slytherin? How could it be? He was the worst player on their team! Harry was furious.  
  
"And the fair Princess Glory, how are you doing today?" asked Malfoy in a polite manner that seemed too scary to be true. Princess Glory looked up as Malfoy kissed her hand. Crabbe and Goyle bowed to her.  
  
"Very well, thank you!" she answered back in a grin.  
  
"Are you enjoying yourself?" asked Malfoy.  
  
"Yes, of course! And you?"  
  
"Never better! And ladies, good afternoon as well," he said as he smiled at her friends. They all giggled.  
  
"Well, I better go. I'm going to the Owl Post to mail my father. I'll see if I can catch up with you later."  
  
"Absolutely, unless you don't mind bumping into me as I check every boutique here."  
  
"Not at all!"  
  
"Well, that settles it I assume..."  
  
"Yes of course. Good bye!"  
  
"Good bye!" said Princess Glory, Lucy, Tiffany, Ruth and Vicky. They all made a tiny giggle.  
  
"Are you flattered by him?!?!" asked Princess Joy disgustedly.   
  
"What's wrong with him?" questioned Princess Glory.   
  
"He's evil, a bully, mean... Do you want me to go on? You just saw how he acted to us before."  
  
"Yes, in fact I did (which was hard to believe considerably that her face was stuffed in her plate). I saw that you were being quite rude to him as well. Maybe if you would be more polite he would respond in that manner as well!"  
  
"Well....er....you.....Eee...Grrrr! You always do this!" shouted Joy.  
  
"Yes, I know!" confessed Princess Glory with a grin.  
  
"Oh look, Harry! Cho's at the entrance!" Princess Joy pointed out.  
  
Harry looked at the entrance. There was Cho Chang, wearing a beautiful crystal-bead necklace and matching ear rings and bracelet. Harry thought she looked lovely. Harry said goodbye to his friends and walked towards her, his presents held tightly in his arm, as his stomach turned in nervousness.  
  
"Hello Cho," said Harry in a shy voice.  
  
"Why hello, Harry!" said Cho cheerfully.   
  
One of the waiters with a name tag spelling out "Chris McField" approached them.  
  
"May I get you two a seat?" he asked politely.  
  
"Yes, we'll have that empty table over in the corner which was reserved for us," replied Harry.  
  
"Ah... You must be...let me see..."  
  
He looked at a big book full of names for reserved tables.  
  
"You two must be Cho Chang and Harry Potter. Harry Potter? No, it can't be! The famous Harry Potter!!!"  
  
Harry rolled his eyes with annoyance as the event proceeded.  
  
"My goodness! My wife and children would love your autograph. Here, can you sign this?" he asked as he pulled out a napkin and pen. Harry signed it quickly and at once they headed to their table behind their waiter.  
  
"Now, if you need anything, just call me. If you need anything all, I would be more than glad to serve you."  
  
"Don't worry, we'll be all right," Harry told the waiter.  
  
Once the waiter had finally left, Cho and Harry made themselves comfortable at the table. Before he forgot, Harry remembered he had to give Cho her presents.  
  
"Oh, Cho! I forgot to give you something. I bought you a present."  
  
From behind his back, he handed Cho the box of chocolates and the stuffed owl. Her face lit up with a glowing happiness has she was handed the gifts.  
  
"Harry....." sighed Cho as she hugged the owl. "I love it. Thank you so much!"  
  
With that phrase, she kissed Harry on the cheek (which made him blush quite brightly). Afterwards, they opened their menus and looked at the delicious plates they served.  
  
"So, what would you like for appetizers?" asked Harry.  
  
"How about the Caesar salad?" suggested Cho.  
  
"That sounds wonderful! So, what will you have for your meal?"  
  
"I'd like the... rotisserie chicken with stir fried vegetables, mashed potatoes and garlic bread. How about you?"  
  
"I'll have the steak with a siding of french fries, rice and garlic bread as well. I'm thinking of Butterbeer, what do you want to drink?"  
  
"I'd like a drink as well. Why don't we share a large glass of Butterbeer?"  
  
"Er.... Sure!" said Harry while his cheeks were becoming red.  
  
Chris McField, the waiter, came back to their table.   
  
"Hi, can I take your order?"  
  
"Hello, uhm... We'll have 1 Caesar salad for appetizers, Cho will have the rotisserie chicken with stir fried vegetables, mashed potatoes and garlic bread and I'll have the steak with a siding of french fries, rice and garlic bread. And to drink we'll have 1 large Butterbeer."  
  
"Thank you. I'll be back in a moment with your food."  
  
In a few minutes, the waiter was back with plates of scrumptious food. They gobbled up their food, chatted and zipped on their Butterbeer. Once they were done, Harry paid for the meals and they explored through Hogsmeade. They went to Honeydukes, Zonko's Joke Shop and they even walked by the Shrieking Shack. They even had some romantic walks just strolling down the paths while carrying an interesting conversation. Harry wondered how his friends were doing. They stopped for a while at Mitrosh's Computagram Library so Cho could go to the washroom. Harry was waiting outside, sitting on the steps in front of the library, waiting for Cho Chang.   
  
As he waited, he heard someone yelling his name out in the distance. He looked around and spotted a tiny speck holding a camera. Oh no, he thought. It was Colin Creevey.  
  
"Harry! Harry! I am so glad to see you!" said Colin. "What have you checked out so far? Did you go to The Three Broomsticks yet? Have you went inside Mitrosh's Computagram Library yet? Why are you waiting on the step?"  
  
"Colin, enough with the questions!" yelled Harry. "I've went through about half the stores so far. I'm surprised I haven't met any of the Princesses while I was exploring everything."  
  
"Do you like the Princesses?" asked Colin in a hyper tone. "Do you like them, Harry? Are they nice?"  
  
"They're extremely friendly. Princess Glory is extremely wise and serious and she's a great dueler. Princess Joy's were sweet and fun to be with."  
  
"I've met them loads of times! I've got 12 rolls of film of them. I haven't really had a real conversation with Princess Glory though, but I have talked to Princess Joy when she was helping me out with homework in the common room! She seems really cool!"  
  
"Yeah, she is."  
  
"So, have you been into Mitrosh's Computagram yet?"  
  
"No, I'm just waiting for Cho Chang to finish with the washrooms and then we'll go inside."  
  
"You're with the Ravenclaw seeker? Why aren't you with your other friends?"  
  
"We're on...a date."  
  
"Harry Potter's on a date! Harry Potter's on a date! I have to get a picture of this!" he screamed as he started flashing his camera.  
  
"Hey, what's going on?"  
  
Cho had come out of the washrooms and was standing behind Harry.  
  
"Cho, can I take a picture of you and Harry?" asked Colin.  
  
"Sure!"  
  
With Harry frustrated that they couldn't finish up their date, they posed and smiled for about 50 pictures that Colin took.   
  
"Well hello, Harry!"  
  
He looked around and spotted Princess Glory and her friends.  
  
"Princess Glory! You're here!" shouted Colin. "Can you join them in a picture?"  
  
"Well...."  
  
"Why not? Your friends can come in two!" said Cho.  
  
Princess Glory had a jealous, angry look towards Cho. Harry had a feeling that Princess Glory didn't like her. He didn't know why, but by the look on her face it seemed so obvious.  
  
"All right."  
  
She stood by Harry as her friends all followed her, keeping a distance from Cho. After about 5 minutes of photo shots, Colin was done and scurried off.   
  
Thank goodness he's gone! thought Harry. In the distance, Harry spotted three specks, one of which had flaming-red hair. Harry knew he they were: Ron, Hermione and Princess Joy.   
  
"Hi Harry and Cho! Oh, and hey Sis and company!" greeted Joy cheerfully.  
  
"I wish you wouldn't call my friends and I 'Sis and company'," grunted Glory. "It's quite rude!"  
  
"You and your politeness! Give it a rest! Anyway, I bought you something while I was shopping!"  
  
Princess Joy handed her sister a shoe box which contained a pair of high palomino-leather boots. Princess Glory looked at them with confusion.  
  
"Thank you...very much..."  
  
"Well, I thought you needed a change. You are wearing those same black boots all the time! I had to buy them for you. Speaking of buying, look at my new boots!" she pointed out. Her boots were knee-length black, leather boots with an extremely high heel.   
  
"I also bought some other cool clothes at my mother's new boutique. Have you been there, Harry? It's called Très Chique Boutique."  
  
"Yeah, we've been all over the place. You know, a quick here and there. It's   
  
great. Cho bought some new clothes there."  
  
"Well, I've also bought a whole new wardrobe for Hermione and Ron. We also went to the salon. I got some more curls in my hair and they took that frizz out of Hermione's hair and put in big curls. Look!"  
  
Harry looked at Hermione. He had a feeling they looked different before. Hermione had fantastic looking hair and was wearing platform stilettos with diamonds at the toe. The change was shocking, it was as if the real Hermione was going.   
  
"Ron wouldn't get a hair-change, though. Ron, that cut just does so much horror to your head!"  
  
"Hey, I thought you liked me!" snapped Ron.  
  
"Of course, Ron!" said Joy. "I completely adore you! I just hate your hair-cut."  
  
"He would look great with his hair a bit spiked up," said Hermione.  
  
"Shut up! I'd look awful!"  
  
"So, how's your date so far, Harry?" asked Princess Joy.  
  
"It's been great," he said while smiling at Cho.  
  
"Aren't they a cute couple?" said Hermione.  
  
As Hermione said this, Princess Glory became red in her cheeks.  
  
"Let's cut it out with this lovey-dovey crap and just get into the computagram library!" whined Princess Glory.  
  
"My goodness!" scolded Joy. "You don't have to be so hurtful. Fine, let's go inside."  
  
They all stepped inside the roomy space of the computagram library. It was a big room with tons of machines that looked like computers, except that they were smaller and didn't have so many buttons. They looked way more futuristic as well. There were at least 40 of them there with booths around them.  
  
"Come on, let's go sign one out," said Princess Glory.  
  
Princess Glory went to the desk and asked to sign out a computagram, as she asked a few things about how the library was doing in business. The employee at the desk started bowed at her and her sister immediately. Once they signed a computagram instructions manual for the employee and once they signed out a computagram (which was #25, it even had a name: Spunky) they came to a small booth with portable walls (like at the Auror Headquarters), sat on the chairs provided and turned on the computagram.  
  
"Hello, Your Royal Highness!" spoke the computagram. "This is Spunky, your computagram for the day. How may I help you?"  
  
Harry and everyone else were amazed. There was a face coming out of the screen, almost like the screaming book Harry found in his 1st year. The face on the   
  
screen that looked very much like a male fairy, and the desktop background was a photo or some kind of image of a large fairy forest, which seemed marvelous to Harry. There was even a small bar that had a button with the 'start' at the bottom of the desktop, just like a Muggle computer.   
  
"I would like to show them the Wizard Internet," said Glory.   
  
"As you wish..."  
  
The computer suddenly changed to a program with a log- in and everything, which looked very much like the Muggle internet.  
  
"Bloody brilliant!" said Ron. "Do all computagrams have faces like that?"  
  
"Actually, you can get many kinds of faces: wizards, centaurs, unicorns, you name it! Let's see, where do we want to go? How about our official website?"  
  
"You mean Princess Joy and you have an official website?"  
  
"Of course we do!" said Princess Glory. "In fact, I'm the site designer of the site. I made the site and I add on new updates almost everyday."  
  
"Wicked!"   
  
Princess Glory typed the URL at the top of the screen: www.monarchyofmagic.com (just like the Muggle URLs) and it went to a brilliant regal purple home page with many icons at the side, a large context of updates in the middle of the page and in calligraphy letters at the top: Welcome to the Monarchy of Magic's Official Website.   
  
"So, what do you want to check out?" asked Princess Glory.  
  
"How about the picture gallery?" asked Cho.  
  
"Gr... Fine," said Princess Glory as she clicked the icon that said 'PICTURE GALLERY'. "Here it is. Which one do you want to check out? Pictures of me, pictures of Princess Joy or pictures of both of us?"  
  
"Both of you," replied Hermione.  
  
Princess Glory clicked on the icon that said 'PICTURES OF BOTH PRINCESSES'. The screen turned to a page filled with icons.  
  
"What kind of pictures would you like to see? There are ceremonies, birthdays, pictures from when we were born, when we were toddlers, 3 years old, 4 years old, 8 years old..."  
  
"Show them when we were 3 years old!" exclaimed Princess Joy. "We were so cute at that age."  
  
"All right."  
  
Princess Glory clicked on the icon which lead them to tons of pictures when they were younger.  
  
"Oh my goodness! Look at Princess Joy and her pigtails!" pointed out Ron.  
  
"And there's Princess Glory!" said Cho. "My goodness! You're pulling your sister's hair!"  
  
"I had a temper at that age."  
  
"You still do!" murmured Princess Joy.  
  
"I do not!" barked Princess Glory.  
  
"Would you kids there quiet down?!" advised the employee at the counter.  
  
"Let's scroll down," suggested Princess Glory.   
  
They saw many adorable pictures of the twins. The fun stopped once Draco Malfoy and his buddies stopped by at the library and found the gang huddled around the computagram.  
  
"And here's the gang again," snickered Draco Malfoy, though his tone of voice changed as he spotted Princess Glory. "Oh, hello Princess Glory! So nice to see you! And her charming friends, hello again. Why, who's that adorable little tyke?" pointed Draco at a picture with Princess Glory riding a black baby unicorn.  
  
"It's me," she replied shyly.  
  
"Well weren't you the cutest little thing?" he said in a strangely nice tone.   
  
"Thank you..." said Princess Glory blushing  
  
"You know, you still are very adorable, even beautiful!"  
  
Princess Glory's cheeks were completely red with embarrassment. Harry was going to faint at the sight of Malfoy acting this way.  
  
"Goyle, Crabbe, don't you agree Her Royal Highness looks adorable in these pictures?"  
  
The two chunky teenagers nodded, smiling in the strangest way.   
  
"Well, we'd better be going. Maybe you can show me more of this once we get back to the castle?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Well, goodbye!"  
  
"Goodbye!"  
  
Once Malfoy and his cronies left, Princess Joy scowled at her sister.  
  
"I can't believe you! Hanging around a guy like that!"  
  
"Wow, Sis, I've never seen you scowl before."  
  
"I scowl!"  
  
"Sure... Anyway, what do you want to see next?"  
  
The rest of the day they explored the site. They left 10 minutes near the end so that Princess Glory could update the site on their recent inventions and events. Around dinner time, everyone hopped back onto the train. Hermione, Ron and Harry went on Princess Joy's compartment again.   
  
All the students went to the Great Hall for dinner, although Princess Joy and Ron didn't. They were having a moonlight dinner outside one of the balconies of the school, arranged by Joy. After dinner, Harry joined Cho for a moonlit ride on a boat around the lake of the school, where they passed mermaids, the giant squid and many other sea creatures that lurked in its waters. In the meantime, Ron and Joy had a carriage ride through the grounds. They thanked Princess Glory graciously, although it seemed once they thanked her it didn't really mean anything to her, although she tried to looked pleased.   
  
Once his date was over, Harry quickly wrote a detailed letter to Remus about his date and his trip to Hogmeade. He gave the rolled up letter to Hedwig as she flew through the night sky to Remus. Afterwards, Harry jumped on his bed, closed his eyes and thought of the day that passed by. It was a marvelous day. Harry had no idea how this year could be ruined in the slightest bit.  
  
Author's Note: PLEASE REVIEW!!!! And manners, remember manners. Try not to flame. For the next chapter: The Princesses' Ball. It's the Princesses' sweet-sixteen ball, and something shocking will happen that will start the real mystery and adventure of the whole story!!!!! VERY IMPORTANT CHAPTER!!! 


	9. The Princesses' Birthday Ball

Harry Potter and the   
  
Princesses for Magic  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and anything that belongs to anybody else in this chapter (which I only think there's Harry Potter that I'm using, but if so, I don't own it).  
  
Author's Note: Hey readers! Yeah, this is SUPPOSED to be on Hallowe'en night (the setting of the chapter, I mean), but hey, what are ya gonna do? Anyway, this is the chapter when the Princesses have their big birthday ball, with a little surprise in it, too. PLEASE REVIEW!  
  
Chapter 9  
  
The Princesses' Birthday Ball  
  
The whole entire school was getting ready in hustles and bustles for the most important party ever to be at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Princess Glory and Princess Joy's sweet-sixteen birthday ball. The extravagant ball, which was on the mind of many people around the world, would take place on Halloween evening in the Great Hall, and because of the ball, all classes were cancelled for that day. Everyone, with frantic panic of what would be most suitable for the ball, was ordering dress robes, presents and accessories for the ball.   
  
Harry finally decided that he would give Princess Joy a silver box with her coat of arms engraved on it, which held inside: a jewelled comb, brush, clips, pins and beautiful hair band. He was going to give Princess Glory a diary incrusted with a few crystals with a portrait of her on the front and her name engraved on it as well. It also had a golden lock with her coat of arms engraved on the side.   
  
Ron, who was very limited for presents because of his family's "financial problems", didn't know what to give them. With Harry's help, Ron decided with the consult of his family that the Weasley would give both Princesses necklaces with a pendant of each of their initials: G and J, with a small pearl on each pendant. Though the presents were small compared to the other students' gifts, it still put a big impact on his family's vault at Gringotts Bank.   
  
Hermione decided to give them both Fabergé eggs and a signed copy of Wizard King and Queens, the Masters of Magic.  
  
"Couldn't you give them a break from reading and school work on their birthdays?" asked Ron.  
  
"I think it's a good present," implied Hermione.  
  
"Sure, that's what you think," chuckled Ron.   
  
"Are you saying I have bad taste in gifts?"  
  
"No, I'm saying that you're such a schooloholic that you even give school things on people's birthdays! For goodness sake, Hermione, you gave Harry and I shouting agendas! They don't call it a holiday for nothing!"  
  
Hermione puffed in fury and turned away. Harry laughed at the situation, knowing exactly what Ron meant.   
  
"That woman!" mumbled Ron, as he got back to his homework.  
  
Harry knew exactly what Ron was saying. He had received one of those agendas last year, and he had abandoned it at the Dursleys, hidden under the loose board.  
  
Ginny was getting into the spirit as well. Because she had become good friends with Princess Glory during the past two months, from the Princess showing Ginny about the computagrams, helping her with homework and telling her about the Sicilian war against Lord Voldemort, she was probably one of the most excited people in Gryffindor attending the ball. She had begged her parents that she could give a separate gift to Princess Glory, but alas, their budget did not allow it.   
  
"She's so nice, smart, and she'll be such a great ruler!" Ginny told Ron, Harry and Hermione one night. "When I hang around her, it seems like I've known her my whole life, as if we've met before."  
  
"That sounds lovely, Ginny," said Hermione.  
  
"It's because of her that I want to go into the Ministry of Magic when I get out of Hogwarts," said Ginny.  
  
"Just like Dad?" asked Ron.  
  
"Of course not, Ron! Truthfully, I would never want to be in the department Dad's in. I want to be in the Wizengamot."  
  
Ron had made a sharp gasp and had a dumbfounded look spread all over his face by the sound of it.  
  
"W-wizengamot?" stuttered Ron. "The Wizengamot? My sister... wants to be... in the Wizengamot?"  
  
"Of course!" said Ginny. "I have the grades, I'm popular... and even Princess Glory can put a good word for me in the Ministry."  
  
"That girl's got good influences on you," said Ron, still shocked. "Has she given you some good influences for... dating?"  
  
Ron, since last year, had been quite protective of his sister dating, and threatened to beat up anyone who tried hitting on Ginny.  
  
"Dating? Ron, I've got a whole life to worry about that. Princess Glory's made me realize that school is more important than silly dating, and that most boys at my age don't even take dating seriously. Dating's not a pass-time, it's something important that can lead to marriage. If anyone does ask me out to the ball, they'll just be my escort, nothing more."  
  
Ron had a glorified look on his face, and it seemed to Harry that a load of worry had just been lifted off your shoulders.  
  
"Thank heavens for Princess Glory!" sighed Ron. "She has had good influences on you. Takes a load off my mind."   
  
That very day, Seamus Finnigan was all hyped up to ask Princess Glory if he may escort her. He had been practicing what he would say the whole entire week and tried to outdo himself on making himself look charming when he asked. Though unfortunately, just before dinner, he returned sulking after he had asked Princess Glory to the ball.  
  
"What did she say?" asked Ron curiously.  
  
"She's already taken," sighed Seamus, looking as down as ever.  
  
"By who?" asked Harry even more curiously.  
  
"That's the problem!" said Seamus, as he plopped down on a seat in the common room. "I have no idea! If I knew, I would have punched his face in. I guess that's probably why she didn't want to tell me. She said it quite nicely though. She did say that if she was free, she would have gladly accepted."  
  
"It was worth a try," said Ron encouragingly.  
  
There was so much fuss of the upcoming evening for the days before. There wasn't too much concentration on work and studies those few weeks (except Hermione, Princess Glory and her gang of course). Countless times, there were messengers sent to their classes to get Princess Glory and Princess Joy out of class for so many reasons: they had to be fitted for dress robes, they had to find out what food would be served, the decorations... The list went on and on.   
  
Harry was already getting so much in the mail from Remus, about tips on what to bring, how to act and such. An evening before the party, Harry took out the box that held his dress robe that was sitting under his four-poster bed, laid it on the bed, and opened it to examine his lovely and handsome dress robe. He glided his hand along the soft blue material, the silver buttons and the handsome neck part that was folded. He would look quite handsome in the dress robe. He would out-dress Draco no doubt, not that his previous dress robe was any good.  
  
As Harry was about to put the box away, Ron had entered the dormitory.   
  
"Hey, Harry!" said Ron cheerfully, closing the dormitory door behind him. "What's that?"  
  
"It's the new dress robe I got at Diagon Alley," replied Harry. "It looks really nice. Look!"  
  
He showed Ron the dress robe as his jaw dropped to the floor.  
  
"Wow, Harry!" said Ron, impressed. "That's a cool dress robe. You're going to look great."  
  
"Yeah... Did you get a new dress robe? You're not wearing that frilly one from the Yule Ball, are you?"  
  
"What? Oh no!!!" gasped Ron in horror. "I don't have a good dress robe! I'm going to look awful compared to Joy! We'll be the worst couple at the ball! I'm ruined!"  
  
"Didn't Joy buy you a new wardrobe?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yeah, but we didn't have time to get a new dress robe. I wish we had. No!!!"  
  
Harry felt extremely bad for Ron. There he would be, standing right next to the beautiful and the wonderfully-dressed Princess Joy, and him with a frilly wizard frock. Just before Ron was about to cry in agony (and the truth is, remembering how horrible that ugly frock was, Harry might have cried out in agony too), an idea popped right into Harry's head.  
  
"Ron, why don't you wear my old green robe?" mentioned Harry. "It's still in good shape! I think it could fit you, and you can keep it too. Your mom was the one who chose it anyway."  
  
Ron looked at Harry with great joy as if he had just offered him a hundred billion galleons.  
  
"Thank you, Harry!" he shouted as he hugged Harry. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! How can I ever repay you?"  
  
"Don't mention it. It's my pleasure."  
  
Harry searched under his bed for the parcel that contained his old green dress robe. He pulled it out and handed it to Ron, who glared at it in wide-eyes.  
  
"Thank you so much, Harry!" said Ron.  
  
"Your welcome. Just have a great time at the ball, okay?"  
  
*****  
  
  
  
On Halloween night, Hogwarts held the long-time expected birthday ball. The Daily Prophet and many other wizard newspapers around the world would be at the party, taking photos and taking note about everything that would happen.   
  
Harry always thought it would be cool to have a birthday on Halloween. The thought of getting loads of candy, and loads of presents, seemed so interesting. Of course, for the longest time with the Dursleys, he never got candy nor presents on either occasions.   
  
Everybody was in a rush to get ready for the last minute. No one could barely hold a conversation without mentioning last-minute details about the party. Everyone of real importance was going to be at the regal ball. Every Minister for Magic would be attending, with many other delegates. Quidditch champions, wizard and witch movie stars and so many celebrities would be there as well. Harry was certain that Colin Creevey and his brother Dennis were getting their cameras ready for the big night.  
  
It was finally the evening they'd all been waiting for. Harry headed to the Great Hall with his friends: Ron, looking quite handsome in the green dress robe, and Hermione, who was looking rather nice in a new purple dress robe and whose hair was slightly curled (not even the magic of that salon could empower Hermione's bushy hair). Hermione was quite excited about the ball, because she would meet Viktor Krum (who was now her boyfriend) at the party. Joy was not going to the ball with them, because she had to be there at a different time then they did.   
  
With a deep breath, all three of them entered the beautiful Great Hall for the ball.   
  
In the Great Hall, Jack-o-Lanterns were floating up near the ceiling, an ice statue of the girls were carved right in front of the pastry buffet, vivid and wonderfully-designed Halloween and birthday decorations were put up all around the castle and so much more. The Great Hall looked imperial for the occasion.   
  
The seats in the Great Hall were specially arranged for the evening's event: benches and tables were lined up around the Great Hall with a head table at the front.   
  
Harry glanced around the wonderful room, which looked better than the Yule Ball, and spotted Cho in the corner, who was waving at Harry and had saved a seat for both of them. Harry quickly went to Cho and sat next to her. Cho Chang was wearing a ruby red, oriental dress robe with jewellery. Harry thought she looked magnificent, and Cho Chang thought the same about him.   
  
On their left at the same table they were sitting at, Hermione had taken a seat with her boyfriend Krum. Krum, in a dark green dress robe, was smiling sweetly to Hermione and was talking to her about this year's Quidditch season. On his right, there sat Ginny Weasley looking quite pretty in a mauve dress robe with Neville Longbottom as her escort. Poor Neville was looking quite anxious, though not at all like when he was taking his O.W.L.'s last year.   
  
Harry wondered if Princess Joy had arrived at the party or if she would be escorted ceremoniously. As he glared around the room, he spotted Princess Joy, at the head table, looking absolutely gorgeous in a light pink embroidered robe with fur on its edges and a jewelled pin to close the robe with the shoulder showing. Underneath, she wore an extravagant dress the same colour that was embroidered as well. It was quite a slim-fitting dress (except for the fluffed-out skirt) that showed her figure well. Her hair was tied up in a swirled bun with a strip of golden hair down the side of her jolly face. She was covered in jewels from her oh-so-wonderful tiara to her amethyst-encrusted high heels. She was sitting with her hands folded in her lap in an enormous gold-and-velvet throne which had a coat of arm on top. By her side, looking nervous and out-of-place, sat Ron (who might I add, couldn't stop looking at Joy).  
  
Harry looked around the whole entire room to find Princess Glory, but alas, he couldn't find her. He was really looking forward to seeing who would be escorting Princess Glory to her birthday ball.   
  
"Cho, do you want to take a walk around the Great Hall?" asked Harry.  
  
"Sure, I would love to! Especially when it looks so wonderful this evening."  
  
Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they promenaded around the room. They saw many famous stars (which Harry had no clue about), one of them being a tall, chubby blonde lady with a sapphire-coloured gown and matching jewellery. As they passed by the woman, she fell into a gaze once she spotted his unnoticeable lightning scar.  
  
"Why, it can't be?" cried the lady. "It's...Harry Potter!"   
  
"Harry Potter?" asked a large, strong man with a black bush beard and brown robe. "Is he here?"   
  
"Yes, Joseph, he is!"  
  
"My goodness, Natasha! Get a camera, I want a picture with him!"  
  
Not this again! thought Harry to himself annoyingly. All his life things like this had happened. Sometimes he wished that he would never had done that interview for The Quibbler. Natasha looked around the room and crabbed a scrawny, little boy with mousy hair holding a large camera.  
  
"Take a picture of us, and give us an extra of the picture!"  
  
"Sure thing. Hi, Harry!"  
  
Harry looked at the boy. It was Colin Creevey, as usual. He knew he would be wanting more after this one.  
  
"Come together, Joseph and Harry Potter. You too, you pretty girl. Are you his date?" asked Natasha.  
  
"Yes ma'am!" smiled Cho Chang.  
  
"Well, you come along here, missy. Yes, right there. Okay! We're all set!"  
  
"All right!" said Colin. "Now on the count of three. One, two, three!"  
  
A large flash shot out of the camera and almost blinded most of the people there. Two photos came out of the slot. The lady grabbed one and looked at it while it was turning out.  
  
"Why, isn't that a nice picture of all of us! Thank you for the photo."  
  
"So, who are you anyway?" asked Harry.  
  
The lady gasped, repulsed by the odious question.  
  
"Excuse me?" questioned the lady. "Don't you know who we are?"  
  
"Now relax, 'Tasha," said the man. "Remember, he was brought up by those Muggles. He doesn't know too much about the wizarding world."  
  
"All right. I'm Natasha Zimpcough and this is my husband Joseph. We've been in so many movies, maybe your little friend can show you one. I've been in Gone With the Wingardium Leviosa, Simply Delicious, Screach 6, Blown Away and so many more. All of them were box-office hits, thank you very much."  
  
"I was in Saving Private Ronny, Shinglestone, Lord of the Dance, and Return of the Dragons. Great films as well. Oh dear, we should go. I promised Christy Dindor we'd meet her. Ta ta!"  
  
Both stars trotted out of their area and mingled with a chubby brunette. Colin Creevey turned around to Harry and Cho.  
  
"Hey, Harry! How's it going?"  
  
"OK, I guess..."  
  
"Did you have some food?"  
  
"No I haven't yet-"  
  
"Anyway, you've probably been wondering where my little brother is. He's sick in the dormitory. He's been out sick for about 2 weeks now. Feel sorry for the poor little guy. He's getting better though! He'll probably be here by next week. I promised him I'd take a lot of pictures of the ball. Can I take some more pictures?"  
  
"Well, ah-"  
  
"Of course, that would be great!" insisted Cho.  
  
After being blinded 500 times by the camera shots, they finally made their way across the majestic ballroom floor. There was a large orchestra up on the wide platform.  
  
"I would have thought they would be playing something more modern," commented Cho.  
  
"It's not quite dancing time now. It's probably just for the moment, to set the mood. I'm sure they have something extremely cool planned."  
  
"Why don't we get something to eat?" suggested Cho. "I'm a bit hungry, and I did hear that the cocktails were quite good. Oh look, there's a waiter coming now."  
  
The waiter, who was right next to them, wore a black robe, white shirt and black tie underneath. It was a plain, yet serious outfit.  
  
"Would you like some cocktails?" asked the waiter, holding out the tray of delicately-made delights.  
  
"Of course! I'll have... the tiny shish kabob here," she said as she lifted it off the plate.  
  
"And you, sir?"  
  
"I'll have this crusted shrimp, thank you," said Harry.  
  
As he picked up the cocktail, Harry took a bite out of the shrimp. It was quite good! Cho liked her's as well. He wondered if someone was catering the ball, or if the house-elves were cooking them. Just when he thought of this, he noticed a scrawny, little figure with different-coloured socks near the golden punch fountain with angels squirting out various fruit juices close to them.  
  
"Hello, Harry Potter! It's such an honour to meet you again!"  
  
"Dobby?"  
  
"Oh, 'tis me, sir! Me, 'tis! Wonderful evening, isn't it? And I see Harry Potter has a date!"  
  
"Oh yes. Cho, meet Dobby."  
  
Cho Chang shook the creature's hand, a bit scared of what it might do.  
  
"Don't worry, Cho, he's just a house-elf."  
  
"Sorry, it's just that I've never really met a house-elf before."  
  
"By the way, Dobby, did the house-elves at Hogwarts make these hors d'oeuvres? They're phenomenal!"  
  
"Oh dear no," answered Dobby. "The house-elves who made those are professionals from the Princesses' headquarters."  
  
"Really? Are they in the kitchen now?"  
  
"Oh yes! The kitchen is their specialty. Italian house-elves are quite famous for that. Oh, Harry Potter, guess what good news Dobby brings tonight?"  
  
"I have no clue. Tell me."  
  
"Princess Joy has hired Dobby to be one of her house-elves! I'll be working in their palace in Rome once they've graduated from Hogwarts! Dobby will receive anything he will need without charge while he's there, instead of a regular wage!"  
  
"Good for you, Dobby! Have you gotten along with the Princesses' house-elves so far?"  
  
"Oh yes, they're quite nice. Two of them are being transferred to Hogwarts for the year. The only problem is, is that they're always wanting me to eat! Today one tried to force my mouth open to shove a pot of pasta down my throat! Then they did it again 2 more times!"  
  
"Wow!"  
  
"I must go, Harry Potter. I'm needed back in the kitchen. So long, Harry and friend!"  
  
"Goodbye!"  
  
"Ah! My favourite wizard hero!" said a familiar voice from behind them. "How are you doing, Harry?"  
  
The portly and short man, with a gray mop of hair on his head, who was behind Harry, was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic.  
  
"Fine, thank you," responded Harry.   
  
"Hello, Minister," greeted Cho. "How are you doing today?"   
  
"Oh fine! And what is your name, young lady?"  
  
"Cho Chang, sir."  
  
"My, you seem like a very lovely girl. Isn't it a nice party?"  
  
"Yes, of course," said Harry. "Princess Joy and Princess Glory are extremely wonderful as well."  
  
"Ah yes, I do agree! Two of the best witches in the world, my boy. Too bad the Ministries want to get rid of them."  
  
"What?!?!" cried Harry. He couldn't believe his ears. "How can they do that? Why would they want to do that?"  
  
"Well, it's just that some Ministries want the wizarding world to become a republic, such as the Ministries of Magic in America, Germany and Bulgaria. Others, like our Ministry, Canada and Italy want the monarchy. Do you see those 3 men over there, Harry and Cho?" pointed Fudge to the right.   
  
Harry looked in the direction Fudge was pointing at. There were 3 wizards chatting together: one was tall with a pointy nose who wore a long, pointy gray hat with a matching gray robe. One was short and chubby with a bright, yellow robe. The other was a middle-aged, clean-shaven wizard with a brown robe.  
  
"I see them," said Harry. "Who are they?"  
  
"Those are the Ministers for Magic from Bavaria, Germany and America. They are one of the many who want the girls out."  
  
"Then why are they here?" asked Cho.  
  
"They just want to have some fun," responded Fudge with an irritated look, "and they want to observe more of the girls, find some other things to complain about."  
  
"But how can they be against them?" asked Harry.  
  
"Harry, they think that times are changing so we have to keep up with the time. Princess Joy and Princess Glory are becoming extremely powerful, and those ministries think they're getting too powerful."  
  
"But they've been waiting their whole lives for this," said Cho. "They can't just take their powers away."  
  
"I know, it would be impossible. We could never go against them, they're too strong. Plus, there's no one else better for the job! They would make perfect rulers, especially Princess Glory. Has she got politics rushing through her veins or what!"  
  
"Mr. Fudge, you have to let your side win!"  
  
"I know, I'm not going to let them win the fight. I'll fight for all I've got! Oooh, cocktails! Nice meeting you, Harry and Cho. Goodbye!"  
  
"Bye, Mr. Fudge!"  
  
"Bye!"  
  
They watched him scurry to the food as they turned around to finish their conversation.  
  
"They can't do that to them," complained Harry. "They're two of the nicest, most powerful and smartest people in the wizarding world! They can't just get rid of them."  
  
"I know," sighed Joy. "Princess Joy is one of the most caring people I know! She mustn't be treated like that!"  
  
"And so shouldn't Princess Glory. She's welcoming as well."  
  
Cho Chang bit her lip once he said that.  
  
"What? You don't like Princess Glory?"  
  
"It's just that we don't get along in the common room. I love Quidditch, and she's against it. I love make-up, and she couldn't care less about it. I'm really popular in Ravenclaw, and she doesn't like it. She thinks books and knowledge are the most important thing in the world, and I don't. It's things like that that makes us not like each other. Plus, she can be so strict."  
  
"She can, and she can get a bit bossy too. She's really smart as well. She's helped a lot of people with homework, from all the grades."  
  
"She was asking if she could help me with homework once, and I said no even if I didn't get too much of it. I like it better when I try figuring things out for myself. It makes me stronger in mind. Anyway, she was offended when I said I didn't need her help."  
  
"I guess she can be stubborn like that once in a while. We're all stubborn like that time to time. You know, I think we should go talk to Princess Joy. What do you say?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
Both of them walked around the dance floor to the area around the platform, where Ron and Princess Joy were standing. They seemed to be talking to a large crowd of people, most of whom had red hair. Harry knew they were the Weasleys, and he was quite happy about that, them being his favourite family and all, but who were the other two people?  
  
"Oh, Harry! I'm so glad you've come," said Joy with a welcoming smile. "Mom, Dad, I want you to meet my friend Harry Potter, and his date for the ball, Cho Chang."   
  
The two people, who Harry thought were probably Joy's parents, turned around to look at them. They were both slightly tanned, of course. Princess Joy's mom looked a lot like her, with long, blonde wavy hair just like her daughter's. The only difference in both of them were that she seemed older and instead had hazel eyes. She wore a big smile, just like Joy, and was wearing a gorgeous lavender dress robe with so many jewellery that it dazzled the eyes of the person who saw her.   
  
Her father, on the other hand, who Harry remembered had been told that he was the Minister for Magic of Italy, had chestnut hair, with a small beard and mustache, who also had a smile but which wasn't as big as Joy's or his wife's. He wore spectacles which were familiar to Dumbledore's, and under those spectacles he could see wonderful and intelligent blue eyes, which were exactly like the Headmaster's. He could see Dumbledore in his face, and yet you could also see Princess Glory's characteristics at the exact, same time. This handsome, yet respectable man, wore an olive green dress robe with a few rings, an outfit more simple than his wife.  
  
"So, this is the famous Harry Potter I've been hearing so much about," said the father as he shook his hand heartily. "My daughters have told so much about you and your friends in their letters. I couldn't wait to meet you. I'm glad to see you finally.""I've been excited to see you too, Harry," said the mother with a large smile. "I heard you have a mentor now, a friend of your late father, am I correct? If he's able to come, I'll be glad to meet him."   
  
"Remus never told me he was coming," said Harry truthfully with a sigh. "Maybe he couldn't make it-"  
  
"Of course I could make it, Harry!"  
  
Harry sped around to find Remus his loving mentor, looking quite sharp, catching up to him. Remus hugged Harry with such joy.  
  
"I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you, Harry," excused Remus. "I guess I was so caught up about this ball that the notion of telling you just slipped my mind."  
  
"That's okay," forgave Harry. "I guess it made a good surprise in the end."  
  
"You can say that. So, this must be your date for the night. Hello, Cho!"  
  
"Hello, Professor Lupin!" said Cho.  
  
"Oh don't worry, you can call me Remus."  
  
"And these are the Weasleys as you already know."  
  
"Hello, Molly, Arthur, Fred, George, Percy (who was looking quite stuck-up and snobbish, might I add, and was only at the ball because the Minister was attending), Bill and Charlie!"  
  
"Hello!" they all said back.  
  
"And here's Princess Joy and Princess Glory's parents."  
  
"Hello," greeted Remus with a hand shake. "I'm Remus Lupin, Harry's mentor."  
  
"I'm Emmanuel, and this is my wife Liona."  
  
"You both look lovely tonight, especially you, Liona."  
  
"Why thank you!" she said with her hand fluttered at her neck.  
  
"So, you're the Minister for Magic in Italy, Emmanuel?"  
  
"Yes, I am," he answered, "and my wife's a fashion designer, one of the best fashion designers in our world!"  
  
"Ah yes! I've seen your work. Amazing, I must say!"  
  
"Thank you, I'm releasing a fashion line for men next spring," said Liona.  
  
"I'll be glad when that comes out!"  
  
"And this is of course Ron and Princess Joy," introduced Harry.  
  
"Hello!" said Princess Joy. "I'm so glad to finally see you. I've heard so much from Harry about you."  
  
"Good evening, Your Royal Highness," he greeted politely as he bowed, his nose almost touching the floor. "I have heard many lovely things about you."  
  
"Thank you so much! And don't worry, you don't have to bow!"  
  
"You look very beautiful tonight," remarked Remus.  
  
"Thank you once again!" said Joy blushing. "You look quite handsome as well! By the way, where's Hermione and Ginny?"   
  
"Here we are!" said Hermione, running to the small crowd with Ginny behind her.  
  
"Hi, Hermione and Ginny!" said Joy, waving at them. "I'm so glad you've come."  
  
"Wow, Joy! Nice ring!" spotted Ginny.  
  
Harry spotted the gigantic ring as well. It was a ring with a large diamond with a silver tiara around it on a large golden band where had an engraving of her name.  
  
"Oh, I've been meaning to not draw attention with that," said Joy shyly. "It's my own ceremonial personal ring. My sister has one almost like it, except with her name engraved. Do you like it?"  
  
"It's beautiful!" said Hermione.  
  
"Thank you. Have you seen Glory?"  
  
"No," said Ginny. "I thought you would know."  
  
"I've been wondering who she'd bring."  
  
"You mean you don't know either?" asked Harry.  
  
"No!" admitted Joy. "I wish I knew though."  
  
"So Remus," said Joy's mother, "are you single?"  
  
"Yes, unfortunately I am."  
  
"You know, my assistant Julia is single as well. Oh Julia, come here."  
  
A slim, pretty woman with chestnut eyes and light brown hair in a high ponytail wearing a turquoise dress robe came at the call of her name.  
  
"Yes, ma'am?"  
  
"I would like you to meet my daughters' friend's mentor, Remus."  
  
Their eyes met and Harry could tell there was chemistry at that same moment. Remus stared in awe in Julia's eyes and Julia blushed.  
  
"Hello, I'm Julia LuRollo," said the assistant, extending her hand.  
  
"I'm Remus Lupin. Pleased to me you," he said as he kissed her hand. "Do you like the orchestra?"  
  
"I love it! I play a bit of viola myself."  
  
"That's funny," said Remus suspiciously, "I thought angels played harps."  
  
Oh no! thought Harry, embarrassingly. Remus was dropping corky pick-up lines! It was very unlikely of Remus to do something like that, but he just guessed that Remus was so love-stricken that his judgment was impaired. Even so, Julia didn't mind. Harry was happy Remus might finally have love in his life. He wondered if Julia would like the idea of him being a werewolf. Joy's mother leaned close to Harry's ear.  
  
"Leave me to do the matchmaking, huh?"  
  
Harry smiled. Liona and Princess Joy seemed so much alike, including that Liona seemed as friendly as Joy. He really wished, though, that Princess Glory could be there.  
  
Harry looked towards left, trying to find Princess Glory one more time. Surprisingly, he did see Princess Glory, who looked ever-so regal, with a high lace collar. She had the same ring and tiara just like her sister, but she still wore that jeweled necklace with the ruby cross. She wore an embroidered green robe/coat with an inspired old-fashion styled darker blue gown underneath. It had long sleeves which became wider at the end, a line of gems down her chest and ruffles and frills at all edges. Her hair was all kept up in a large, wide bun behind the tiara. Harry had to admit Princess Glory looked like her title, although he was so frustrated he couldn't see the boy she was holding hands with.  
  
"Ron!" said Harry as he nudged Ron.  
  
"What?" asked Ron.  
  
"It's Princess Glory!"  
  
"Where?"   
  
"Near the punch fountain."  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"The one to your right!"  
  
"Oh," Ron looked to his right, where Princess Glory was standing. "Hey, I see her!"  
  
"What are you two whispering about?" asked Joy curiously.  
  
"We've spotted your sister," answered Ron.  
  
"How lovely! Where is she?"  
  
"Near the punch fountain on your- Wait! She's gone!"  
  
"You should have- I see my sister! She's near the orchestra, talking to the cello player. Who's she with?"  
  
"I don't know," admitted Harry. "Oh my goodness! I saw a glance of her escort's robe!"  
  
"What collar is it?"  
  
"A very dark and eerie green, like the Slytherin green."  
  
"Oh please don't let her be going with a Slytherin!"  
  
"I had a glance of the guy too!" said Ron.  
  
"What did you see?" demanded Joy.  
  
"I saw his head."  
  
"Hello, everyone!" said Hermione as she came into the group. "What are you all looking at?"  
  
"We're trying to find out who's escorting Joy's sister."  
  
"Let me see! What did you see so far?"  
  
"We saw a boy in a Slytherin green-coloured robe. What were you saying, Ron?"  
  
"That I saw his head. He's a blond."  
  
"So, what blond Slytherin's do we know?"  
  
"Oh no!" gasped Hermione.  
  
"What Hermione?" asked Harry.  
  
"I know who she's going out with!" Hermione said in fear.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Yeah, who?"  
  
"Tell us!"  
  
"It's...It's..."  
  
"Come on, Hermione!"  
  
"Mom! Dad! I'm so glad to see you!"   
  
All for of them turned around to see Princess Glory speaking to her parents.  
  
"Hello, sweetheart!" greeted her mother.  
  
"Nice to see you again!" said her father.  
  
"Where's the boy who asked you to the ball?"  
  
"Here's right behind me."  
  
An odd shocked feeling went down Harry's back as he finally saw her escort.  
  
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Dumbledore," said the boy. "So glad to finally meet you. Princess Glory has told so much about you."  
  
"It's Draco Malfoy!" blurted out Hermione.  
  
"Oh no! It can't be!" cried Princess Joy. "It just can't be!"  
  
"Well, it is, and there's nothing we can do about it."  
  
"How can she like that horrid boy!"   
  
It seemed to Harry and the others that Princess Joy was about to cry, but she held her tears and smiled her usual smile, greeting Malfoy with obligation.   
  
"Hello, Malfoy," said Princess Joy reluctantly.   
  
"Why hello, Princess Joy, wonderful to see you," he said in a stiff voice. "You look...pretty."  
  
"Of course she does!" blurted out Ron. "She's the prettiest girl in the world!"  
  
"Ron, stop it!" nudged Princess Joy to Ron. "You're embarrassing me and everyone else!"  
  
"Fine...."  
  
"I think I see Father in the back," said Malfoy. "I must bring him to see you all. It's been such a pleasure speaking with you. And I will tell you now that your daughter Princess Glory is one of the most extraordinary, wonderful and beautiful young ladies I've ever met."  
  
"Oh Draco!" blushed Princess Glory. "You're so sweet! Don't worry, you don't have to call me `Princess' all the time."  
  
"Thank you, Glory. Goodbye!"  
  
Once Malfoy was out of sight, Princess Joy grabbed her sister's arm and brought her to her.  
  
"Ow!" shouted Princess Glory in pain, rubbing her arm. "How dare you do that to me!"  
  
"I can't believe you, Sis. What's wrong with you? Why are you with that boy!"  
  
"There is nothing wrong with me," scowled Princess Glory, "and there is nothing wrong with him! He's a nice person who treats me with respect and I enjoy being with him."  
  
"But why did you have to say 'yes' to him? You could have picked Seamus Finnnigan, he's a nice boy....or someone else! Do you really think he's a good date?"  
  
"Joy, you make it seem like I just randomly picked him!"  
  
"It sure sounds like it!"  
  
"He's not just a date for this evening anyway!"  
  
"What?" questioned Joy, angrily and curiously. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Didn't you know?"  
  
"Know what?"  
  
"He's my boyfriend!"  
  
Once those words were spoken, Hermione gasped, Harry's jaw dropped and Ron spat his punch out.  
  
"I thought you knew," stated Princess Glory.  
  
"No, I didn't!" shouted Joy.  
  
"He's not so bad," interrupted Ginny. "He's a really nice guy if he wants to show it."  
  
"Ginny!" pleaded Ron to Ginny, his arms outstretched. "Ginny, what's wrong with you? He's a Malfoy! Malfoys hate Weasleys, Weasleys hate Malfoys. It's the circle of life!"  
  
"Besides, I think he's just that way because his father wants him to be like that," said Princess Glory. "If it wasn't for him, Draco would be kinder to everyone. I'm surprised at you, Joy. You're usually not that critical about others."  
  
It looked as if Princess Joy would explode. Her tanned skin (which became a bit lighter during the months of school) became burning red and it was as if smoke was coming out of her ears.  
  
"I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU!" shouted Princess Joy. "What's wrong with you? If I were you, I'd dump Draco and pick someone else. I'd try and get a better dating judgment too. You don't know what you're doing!"  
  
"Yes, I do know what I am doing, and if I were you, I'd cover myself a bit more! You've got bare shoulders! You look horrible!"  
  
"I do not!" pouted Joy. "Just because you're afraid to show just a bit of skin, doesn't mean I have to go along with it."  
  
"Hey! Let me get a picture of this!" shouted Colin Creevey.  
  
"You're crazy. Put something on!" Princess Glory screamed while photos were shot.  
  
"No!"  
  
"Fine then! Look skimpy! What do I care! You're nothing but a bimbo anyway!"  
  
Everyone gasped at that remark.  
  
"How dare you call me that!" shouted Joy. "You're nothing but a little weasel who has to have everything perfect. You're a little know-it-all, you know that! You always have to be the smartest one in the world!"  
  
"It's better than being a little know-nothing-at-all!"  
  
"I'm not a 'little know-nothing-at-all'! I'm smart. I've got an A average. I'm at the top of my class!"  
  
"You might be the top of your class, but that's only because you're royal, and have intelligent ancestors. Otherwise, you don't even work at it! Hermione could probably whip your butt in any exam if you weren't!"  
  
"Can you not get me into this, please?" pleaded Hermione.  
  
"You nerd!" shouted Princess Joy.  
  
"You tramp!" shouted Princess Glory.  
  
"Girls! Girls!" said her father, trying to calm them down. "You both have different points of view for guys and clothing. Let the other do what she wants, all right? Now say sorry to each other."  
  
"Sorry, Joy," apologized Glory reluctantly.  
  
"Sorry, Glory," apologized Joy as well.  
  
"Good! I don't want anymore fighting between you two. Got it?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Yes, we do."  
  
"Now you!" said Emmanuel, pointing to Colin. "What's your name?"  
  
"Colin Creevey..." he murmured in a scared voice.  
  
"Colin, I don't want you being a paparazzi around the girls. They've already got enough of that to deal with. Understand?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Their father walked away proudly to a little crowd he was having a conversation with.Harry couldn't believe Princess Joy could erupt like that. He had never seen her this angry.  
  
"I never knew sisters could fight like that!" said Cho. "And Joy! She's the sweetest person in the world! As well, Princess Glory can get into a fit, but she's never been as mad as this!"  
  
"I can't believe Princess Glory called her a bimbo and a tramp, and that Princess Joy called her a weasel and a nerd. It's crazy! Is this normal?"  
  
"I have no idea!"  
  
"Oh no!" said Ron. "Here comes Malfoy and his father!"  
  
Malfoy and his father, a greedy, odious, cold-hearted man with black robes, walked to the royal crowd where Princess Glory and Princess Joy were rosy-cheeked with embarrassment.  
  
"Look at that!" said Lucius Malfoy, looking at Princess Glory. "Draco, is this that beautiful and wonderful young lady who you've been boasting about this past month?"   
  
"Yes, Father. Isn't she amazing?"  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Royal and Most Magnificent Highness," he greeted as he bowed to her.  
  
"Why thank you! It's been such a pleasure knowing your son. He's so sweet."  
  
"Ah yes, but not as sweet as you, from what I heard!"  
  
At this point, Princess Glory's cheeks blushed as red as the torches aflame around the room.  
  
"Thank you ever so much for getting my son's grades up. You have been helping him and inspiring him immensely since he met you."  
  
"Oh, it's my pleasure!"  
  
"Princess Glory, I've been meaning to ask you one thing, since you're becoming so close to Draco. What are your views on Muggle-borns?"  
  
Harry, Cho and his friends had been like flies on the wall the whole entire time. They all stood still in shock once they heard the word `Muggle-borns', and became anxious in patience for her answer.   
  
"Mr. Malfoy," said Princess Glory, "there are just so many Muggle-borns, or Muggles in wizard families!"  
  
"Yes, and so many infested families indeed!"  
  
"But if all muggle-wizard families were cast out, wouldn't the wizard community be smaller?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
"So wouldn't that mean, less wizards and witches in Diagon Alley and Hogwarts?"  
  
"Indeed!"  
  
"But if there are less wizards and witches in Diagon Alley and such stores, wouldn't there be less witches and wizards buying things?"  
  
"Well, I guess..."  
  
"Wouldn't that mean less prophets?"  
  
"I guess..."  
  
"And you're in the Ministry of Magic, of course?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"And you have an impact on that small community that are wizards and witches, don't you?"  
  
"Well, if you put it that way..."  
  
"And once I become 18 years of age, won't I be ruling over this small community as well?"  
  
"Of course..."  
  
"So, the point I'm saying, is that we need these muggle-wizard families. You see, the more muggle-borns there are in the wizard community, the bigger the wizard community is, which means the more big of a community there is, the more prophets stores will earn, the more impact you, the governors and the government have and the bigger my empire will be!"  
  
"Well! I've....never heard it put in...that way before... Maybe if you put it that way we need them for certain things. Draco, keep an eye on this smarty. She's got a witty mind."  
  
They all stood in shock and fear. Was Princess Glory going to the dark side? Harry had to find out. While Malfoy and his father were turned away, Harry leaned to Princess Glory's ear.  
  
"Your Royal Highness," he said in an obligated, shy way, afraid that she could snap at any moment, "does this mean you're against Muggles and Muggle-borns?"  
  
"Of course not!" said Princess Glory. "Muggles are great human beings. I personally think there's nothing wrong with them. I just tried to show Mr. Malfoy one way of seeing that muggles and muggle-born wizards and witches aren't so bad. As far as I'm concerned, it worked!"  
  
Princess Glory was as helpful in a sneaky way as her mother, just like when her mother introduced Remus to her assistant. Maybe she wasn't as wicked as Harry and the rest thought she was turning out to be. Inside, she was still the kind, gentle, serious and smart person that they had always known. Or was she trying to show a nicer side to impress Harry, her sister and their friends, just like she had done to Mr. Malfoy?   
  
"I assume these are the lucky parents of this wonderful child!" said Lucius Malfoy, approaching Emmanuel and Liona.  
  
"Oh hello, Lucius!" greeted Emmanuel. "I've heard all about your son from my daughter. I'm Emmanuel Dumbledore and this is my wonderful wife, Liona."   
  
"I've been wanting to meet you for so long," said Mr. Malfoy, "and so has Narcissa. She's mingling with some others right now. Ah, here she is! Narcissa, meet Emmanuel and Liona, the parents of the Princesses."  
  
Narcissa was a pale, white-blonde lady who looked quite beautiful, probably just because it concerned her son's girlfriend, which was what Harry was thinking. Malfoy's mother shook hands with Princess Glory's parents.  
  
"It's so nice to see you," said Mrs. Malfoy. "I've heard so many things about your daughter."  
  
"Yes, both our daughters are wonderful. Have you met the other one, Joy?"  
  
"No, not yet."  
  
"Then it's time you have! Joy, come over here."  
  
Princess Joy came to her mother from talking to a group of witches with a giant smile as she shook their hands. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy bowed and greeted her with no feeling at all. Harry could tell they favoured her sister much more.  
  
"So, are the girls excited for their sweet-sixteen birthday?" asked Mrs. Malfoy.  
  
"Oh quite much! Joy more than Glory though. She's been dreaming about this party ever since she heard about such a thing."  
  
"Your hair is so pretty, Rosa," complimented Narcissa, glaring at Liona's hair. "How do you keep the volume in it?"  
  
"It's a family thing, but we can discuss it over some stir-fried shrimp...."  
  
They walked off talking about the usual women things as Malfoy and Glory's fathers started to talk.  
  
"How is it going in the Italian Ministry?" asked Lucius.  
  
"Oh fine for the most. Cauldron and wand exports are doing beautifully. It's quite a great year for trading."  
  
"So I've heard greatly!"  
  
"Ah yes, but the main concern right now is the crown. I cannot believe some ministries are refusing to let my girls be Queens of Magic!"  
  
"If only they could open their eyes and see the wonders they would be! That Princess Glory, she would be a fine leader. I've heard from Mr. Fudge before that she was 'born with political potential'."  
  
"Cornelius is gladly sticking up for them. I hope everything turns out okay."  
  
"Me as well. It would be a great loss if your wonderful daughter Princess Glory couldn't express those great leadership talents to the wizarding world!"  
  
Harry almost thought for a few seconds that Mr. Malfoy seemed nice. He sure liked Princess Glory. A strange feeling came over him, as if someone was standing right behind him. He turned around and saw a wonderfully friendly face.  
  
"Hello, Harry!" said Professor Dumbledore in a very cheery mood. "Having fun so far?"  
  
"Yes, Professor."  
  
"It's been so long since I've seen the girls. I've been waiting for this celebration for so long."  
  
"Professor, did you know that the Ministry was talking about taking away Princess Joy and Princess Glory's powers to the throne?"  
  
"Sadly, yes. I am also one of the many people who are fighting against those patriotic and rebellious ministries. If only they knew.... You see here, Harry, some ministries do not know how kind, smart and what leaders these girls are. They just think they're money-making, snobbish, isolated figures who are just too powerful. Harry, you've got to know them. They aren't like that, are they?"  
  
"Of course not!"  
  
"Exactly. I'm going to have a chat with my great-great grandson and Mr. Malfoy, then I will declare dinner. I am beginning to be quite hungry," he said as he winked at him.  
  
Harry smiled as Professor Dumbledore floated away. Just as Dumbledore said, they had started the grand dinner that would await them. Harry remembered Princess Joy explaining the many courses that would be served the night when she was looking through which seemed like millions and millions of choices of food to serve.   
  
The first course that was served was the antipasto; a serving of various delis, fruits, vegetables and pickled vegetables as well. The plates appeared before them magically, as it usually did. Harry quite enjoyed the pastrami on his plate, while Cho was becoming quite fond of the sweet, juicy melon. However, some slices of meat were a bit spicy. Neville gulped down an extremely spicy one which caused him to spit out flames of fire. Princess Glory quickly came over to give him some flame-ceasing magical water and a small spell which cured him right up.   
  
During the whole entire time, fresh bread, sodas, wine, butterbeer and various other drinks were placed all each table and many other places. Harry could see Dean Thomas inhaling as much bread as he could eat.  
  
The second course was a big and meaty dish of potato-filled tortellini. Harry never had tortellini, but once the food entered his mouth, he wished dearly that he could have eaten the wonderful pasta in his earlier years. It was amazing the things that Harry could observe because of the placement of the tables. He could see Remus flirting with Julia, Percy boring the Princess' father about his job and Mr. Fudge, Malfoy and Princess Glory discussing politics and the issues their fathers debated at work, Mr. Fudge stuffing his face with meatballs, the list went on and on.   
  
The third course was a light and healthy salad. Hundreds of different kinds of dressings popped up in glass bowls on each table. Harry and Cho both tried the roasted herb ranch and bacon vinaigrette, which was quite delightful.   
  
The fourth serving was what was called 'the main course', which seemed difficult for Harry to believe considering all the other courses. There was a juicy, thick slice of roast beef with gravy, tiny corn, green beans, roasted potatoes and carrots.   
  
"Oh no!" cried Tootsie Forheiner, a small, blonde, third-year Hufflepuff girl.  
  
"What is it?" asked Colin Creevey, who was sitting beside her.  
  
"This is meat. I'm a vegetarian!"  
  
Once Princess Joy caught her eye on the scene, rushed to Tootsie.   
  
"What's the matter, dear?" she asked sweetly.  
  
"I can't eat this. I'm a vegetarian. Sorry...."  
  
"Oh, don't worry! Is there anything else you'd like?"  
  
"Hm.....I wouldn't go wrong with a veggie burger!"  
  
"Then that's what you'll have!"  
  
Princess Joy took out her wand, waved it, and suddenly the roast beef turned into a mighty veggie burger.  
  
"Thank you so much!"  
  
"It was a pleasure. Hope you have a wonderful night!" said the Princess as she floated away (as it seemed with the dress of her's).  
  
The night proceeded, and as it went, the courses were almost done, except for one very important course in every birthday (unfortunately, 'every birthday' doesn't quite include Harry's past birthdays).  
  
"With great joy and happiness," spoke Professor Dumbledore, "I would like to bring forth.... the cake."  
  
He gave a quick echoing snap of his long fingers, and immediately, the side doors opened and out came 20 waiters and waitresses carrying what seemed to be the shape of a wedding cake, but once Harry looked at the decorations, he saw that it was a Sweet Sixteen birthday cake. It said on the candles 'SWEET SIXTEEN', with figures of Princess Joy and Princess Glory in their birthday gowns. There were tons of iced sugar frills, flowers and decorations. It was a gigantic cake, in length and width. It had 10 thick, frosty vanilla layers. Everyone had to agree; it was a magnificent cake.  
  
The waiters and waitresses laid the massive cake onto the table in front of the Princesses. Their faces were aglow in the wonderful presence of the gigantic pastry (even though they ordered it specifically the way it was).  
  
"Happy Birthday to you!" sang all those present in the Great Hall. "Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, Dear Royal Highnesses Princess Joy and Princess Glory of the Magical Realm.... Happy Birthday to you!"   
  
"Make a wish, dears!" said Professor Dumbledore.  
  
Both girls closed their eyes, thought for a moment, and blew. The candles were extinguished and everyone cheered. The servants passed slices of delicious cake with vanilla icing and frosting, fruit-filling, moist bread and peach creme in-between the layers to everyone. Harry was anxious to eat the cake since he laid eyes on it. Once they were passed two slices of cake, Cho and Harry dug in. It was simply delicious.  
  
"It's the best cake I've ever eaten!" said Harry.  
  
"The filling is so sweet!" said Cho.  
  
"Not as sweet as you," said Harry meaningfully.  
  
"Thank you.... That's so kind of you," she said blushing.  
  
Harry looked down at his feet. Cho was very sweet, as he said.   
  
"Hey, Cho! Here!" he said as he dived a fork full of cake into Cho's mouth.  
  
"Wow! I wasn't expecting that! Have some of this!" she said as a fork flew into his mouth. Before they knew it, they were feeding each other cake (yeah, that might seem disgusting to some people, but hey, what can you do? They're in love, and they're teenagers). Once they were done eating, Harry looked at the other couples in the Great Hall. He saw Victor giving his cake to Hermione with a pinch of her cheek. Princess Joy and Ron were playing with the cake, putting frosting on each other's nose, forehead and cheeks. Princesses Joy and Glory's parents were sharing a piece of cake. Mrs. Weasley was letting Mr. Weasley eat the icing off her cake. Princess Glory and Malfoy were feeding cake to each other as well. Harry felt strange, almost shocked and confused with an awkward feeling in his stomach once he saw them. It almost seemed 'scary' to him, seeing Malfoy flirt with Princess Glory. Even Malfoy's parents were sharing a piece of cake, which was even more frightening to Harry.  
  
After the cake was eaten (which took a while), Professor McGonagoll made an announcement.  
  
"It's time to open the presents!" she called out. A roar of applaud rushed throughout the students. "We don't have enough time to open all the presents, so we will just open 15."  
  
"Just 15?" said Harry. "That's more birthday presents I've ever had in my life!"   
  
"I know," agreed Cho. "It is a lot."  
  
"These first ones are from... Hannah Abbot and the Abbot family! These two are for you both."  
  
Professor McGonagoll handed both of them the wrapped box from the gigantic pile (actually, there was a table under those presents) that contained the Abbot family's gift.   
  
"I'll read the card," volunteered Princess Glory.  
  
"Of course," said Professor McGonagoll, handing her the card. She took it out of the envelope and read the birthday greeting:  
  
"For two special princesses on their sweet-sixteen," read Princess Glory aloud. She then opened the card. "May on your royal sixteenth birthday, all your wishes come true for the time ahead. That's so sweet of you, Hannah!"  
  
"My pleasure," said the Hufflepuff girl shyly.   
  
They both ripped open the presents. They had both received a large make-up kit with many assorted lip sticks, glosses, make up, etc., with a mirror as well.  
  
"Thank you so much!" said Princess Joy.  
  
"Same here!" said Princess Glory.  
  
"The next item is from....the Weasleys," said Professor McGonagoll, reading the front of the envelope attached to the present, before she passed out both presents. This time Princess Joy read the card.   
  
"Today's a special occasion, especially for two special twins like you," read Joy, then she opened the card. "Hoping your sweet-sixteens are as sweet as you two. May all your goals be fulfilled during your 16th year. How nice, Ron, Ginny, and the rest of the Weasleys!"  
  
"Your welcome," said Ron blushing.  
  
They opened their presents, Princess Joy thrashing at the paper with excitement. She marveled at it as she opened the little box the necklace came in. Her face was glowing as she picked up the lovely necklace with the letter 'J' on it.   
  
"Oh, Ron, I love it!" she said as she gave Ron a big hug and a kiss on the cheek (his ears became rosy). "You're so thoughtful!"  
  
"How wonderful, Ron," said Glory, as she opened her present. "Thank you ever so much, and thank you too, Ginny."  
  
"Your welcome," she said.  
  
"Here's Harry Potter's presents," said Professor McGonagoll.  
  
Everyone looked closely and paid great attention. What would the famous Harry Potter bring to the famous Princesses? thought the crowd. Harry's head was spinning with questions as well. Would they like it? Will it seem appropriate? Would they write about it in The Daily Prophet? He waited in anticipation. They read the card and opened the presents. Princess Joy opened hers first again and gave a large grin as her eyes sparkled at the jewelled hair accessories.  
  
"Harry, how wonderful! Just the thing for my hair... Ooooh! A hair band! Don't have too many of those. Thank you!"  
  
So Princess Joy loved her present. He only had to wait for Princess Glory's response. She ripped the wrapping off looking, almost as anticipated as Harry did. She fell in awe as she picked up the diary and examined it closely. A warm, joyful feeling came over her which showed.  
  
"Why....Thank you, Harry," she said slowly, as if trying to collect words. "I don't know what to say... It's magnificent!"  
  
Harry was extremely glad that she liked it. He just was a bit confused about how happy she was once she laid her eyes on it. With all the gold, gems and precious goods she had, how could she be so glorified over a diary?  
  
They moved onto the next presents, which were from Hermione Granger and her family. They opened the presents which revealed 2 Fabergé eggs and two signed copies of "Wizard Kings and Queens, the Masters of Magic", one egg and one book for each of them. The Fabergé eggs were both personalized for each one. Each bared their coat of arms. They both pressed the button on theirs, which opened the eggs to reveal little framed portraits of them on all their birthdays. Their portraits waved at them happily.  
  
"How unique!" said Princess Joy. "It's wonderful!"  
  
"Fantastic!" said Princess Glory. "I've always admired these. I'm a great fan of Tsar Nicholas II and his family."  
  
"Here's a present from Colin Creevey and his family!"   
  
It was a present for both of them. It was a blown-up picture of Princess Joy, Princess Glory and Harry Potter in a pewter frame.  
  
"How lovely!" said Princess Joy.  
  
"Thank you ever so much, Colin!" said Princess Glory. "Now we can save a memory of our friendship with Harry."  
  
"Here's a present from the Malfoys to Princess Joy," said Professor McGonagoll, handing her the present. "Where's the one for Princess Glory?"  
  
"We've arranged for her present to be brought to her," said Lucius Malfoy. He quickly snapped his fingers. Out the door on the side, came a scrawny, little house-elf with a piece of sheet around him. He carried a large object, covered with a silky blanket. The little house-elf laid it in front of Princess Glory, bowing first.  
  
"Here is Princess Glory's present from the Mafloys, ma'am," the little tortured thing said. He pulled off the blanket, revealing a beautiful porcelain doll, which was a replica of Princess Glory as she looked at that moment. It was one third of Princess Glory's size, which was actually very big for a porcelain doll like that. It stood on a platform, which said: Her Most Royal and Magnificent Highness Princess Glorificous Elizabeth Tatiana Victoria Nefertiti Dumbledore-Illiermo. The house-elf bowed once again and scurried off.  
  
"Oh, Draco!" cried Princess Glory. "You remembered I adore porcelain dolls! It's so beautiful! It looks just like me!" Princess Glory leaned over and kissed Malfoy. Harry felt like he was going to puke.  
  
Suddenly, the doll came alive and curtsied at her.   
  
"May I add that this outfit for this evening was wonderfully well thought-out and looks quite majestic."  
  
"It talks!" remarked Princess Glory. "How intriguing. I already love it."  
  
"Believe me, Your Royal Highness," said the doll, "there wouldn't be anyone else I'd want to be a doll of."  
  
"My goodness! Does my new present know her manners!"  
  
"That's what we intended, Your Royal Highness," said Lucius Malfoy. "Great quality is a must for a wonderful leader like you."  
  
"Oh, you're embarrassing me!"  
  
"Let's go on with Princess Joy's present, shall we!" interrupted Professor McGonagoll.  
  
Princess Joy opened her present, not as excited as she was for the other presents. It turned out to be emerald and gold bracelets, necklace, earrings and tiara in a gold jewellery box.   
  
"Why thank you, how lovely," said the Princess humbly.  
  
"Your welcome. You deserve every one of those fine jewels and more, Milady," said Narcissa Malfoy, with a small, almost-kind smile.  
  
The present opening went on for about 10 minutes more. After the other presents, Dumbledore tapped his fork onto his glass, ordering attention.  
  
"Now that my dearest and greatest granddaughters have opened a few of the many wonderful presents they have been given," showing the humongous mountains of presents that showed only a fraction of their gifts, "we may unveil the presents their parents and I have given to them."  
  
A roar of cheer and clapping filled the room. Emmanuel and Liona stood up and walked in front of the crowd and their daughters.  
  
"Our first present from Professor Dumbledore and us as you can see," said Emmanuel, "is the ball, the food, the decorations, the make-overs, the gowns and the rest that made up this evening."  
  
"But our personal gifts given to our lovely and most splendid daughters," continued their mother, "are these luxury, super-sized, furnished personal yachts for each of the girls out on the lake."  
  
Everyone ran to the glass windows of the Great Hall, as did Harry. He saw two gigantic luxury yachts. They were almost as big as Durmstrang's boat during his 4th year. Harry would have loved to have a look into those yachts. How great Princesses Glory and Joy's life must be! he thought to himself. Their parents ordered everyone to please go back to their seats as Dumbledore would announce his present to the girls.  
  
"Thank you for your attention, students, staff and guests. Every birthday, I have tried to find the most unique and wonderful presents I can arrange. To start, I have ordered to put statues of the girls around the hallways."  
  
A hum of clapping hands filled the room with applause.  
  
"Yes, yes, yes. Second, I have also ordered paintings of them hung up around the school, and one giant portrait of them both."  
  
He waved his wand and magically a flat object draped with curtains at the head of the Great Hall appeared. He pulled the curtains and there hung a giant painting of the girls in their gowns.  
  
"How wonderful!" said Princess Joy.  
  
"Fantastic!" said Princess Glory.  
  
"As well, I have also gotten my great-great-great-granddaughters another token of my love to them. Hagrid, Come in!"  
  
Hagrid came out of the entrance, dragging a long rope in each hand. Attached to the ropes which also entered the hall, were 2 jewelled, majestic carriages bearing their coat of arms. To which was pulling the carriages, were 1 unicorn for each carriage. Pulling the one with Princess Glory's coat of arms, was a black, winged unicorn. Pulling the carriage with Princess Joy's coat of arms, was an also winged, white unicorn. Everyone stood in awe, as their hands were busy clapping.  
  
"Oh thank you, Nono!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!" shouted both the girls.  
  
"Alas, there is something else. Unicorns!"  
  
Both unicorns bowed, stood up straight on their 4 legs and straightened their heads and necks.  
  
"From your great-great-great-grandfather," said Princess Joy's white unicorn, in a fairy-like female voice.  
  
They both cleared their throats (yes, as strange as that may sound, the unicorns did clear their throats) and sang:  
  
"Young ladies, on your 16th birthdays,   
  
may you both have a ball of a time.  
  
But seeing you so merry and joyful,  
  
oh granddaughters, the pleasure is mine.  
  
A forest of fairies nor an ocean of mermaids,  
  
will never compare to your smiles.  
  
How great a time it is to know you,  
  
even if it's only for a while.  
  
May you always be filled with laughter,  
  
and may you always feel welcome and love.  
  
For you 2 sweet grandchildren deserve it,  
  
for you are angels from above.  
  
Hoping your days are good and bright,  
  
hoping your lives will be filled with delight.  
  
May both of you, never be blue,  
  
Even so, just remember, Nono Albus loves you!"  
  
A rampage of crying, applauding and cheering came from all corners of the room. Both Princesses were crying for joy after hearing it.  
  
"Yes, singing is the perk of having talking unicorns," said Professor Dumbledore.  
  
"I love you so much!" cried Princess Joy, her make-up completely streaked from tears.  
  
"Thank you so much !" sobbed Glory, trying to hold back waterfalls of tears.  
  
"It was my pleasure, girls."  
  
"Let's begin with the thanking, shall we?" said Professor McGonagoll, holding a tissue to her teary eye.  
  
"I guess we shall. May Aansi, Jasmine and Family come up. Then they will thank Aardvark, Reeda and Family, and then Ablifter, Thomas and Family."  
  
Everyone lined up as their names were called so they could be thanked by Their Royal Highnesses. Once it was Harry's turn, he stood up and lined up in the queue of people. After a long time, he finally came to them.  
  
"Harry!" said Princess Joy. "Thank you ever so much for those hair accessories. I'm going to use them tomorrow!"  
  
"Hey, Harry!" said Ron, who was sitting aside Joy.  
  
"Hey, Ron! What do you think of the ball?"  
  
"It's bloody brilliant!"  
  
Harry walked over to Princess Glory, who was thanking Abigail Possy but soon turned her head and faced Harry with a grin.  
  
"Why hello, Harry! Thank you so much for that diary."  
  
"Your welcome."  
  
"I would like to talk to you more, but I can't. The line needs to proceed. I'll talk to you soon."  
  
"All right."  
  
Malfoy looked away as Harry passed by him. He shook hands with their parents, telling him how glad they were that a fine young man like him would be friends with their girls as they also thanked him for coming. He as well shook hands with Dumbledore, who gave a little wink and told him to enjoy the rest of the ball.  
  
Once he was finished being thanked, he walked to his seat where Cho Chang was gazing around the room.  
  
"Harry, I was looking for you!" said Cho. "There are so many people up there."  
  
"I know. When will they start dancing?"  
  
"Probably soon."  
  
"Uh...Prefess'r Dumbledore?" asked Hagrid, whose head was peering out of a door (he had immediately went back out after pulling in the carriages). "The royel pets er gettin' resless. May they join th' ball?"  
  
"Of course, Hagrid," said Dumbledore. "You may let them in."  
  
Hagrid came out of the door with the giant hippogryph and hippigryph, leashes on them, and led them to Joy and Glory's side. Harry noticed how tame they were, for such wild animals. Malfoy didn't notice this; he jumped at the first sight of Princess Glory's hippigryph. It took a long time for Princess Glory to settle him down.  
  
Professor Flitwick, who looked like one of Santa's helpers in a red and green robe, fumbled up to the front of the hall to call everyone's attention.  
  
"Excuse me everyone, may I have your attention, please?" he called out in his squeaky voice. Unfortunately, no one paid attention.  
  
"May I have your attention please?!?" he called out more loudly. He still hadn't got any attention.   
  
The little wizard, now quite frustrated, waved his wand and conjured up a spell that made appear a mega-phone. Professor Flitwick pushed the button of the mega-phone, and then a large high-pitched noise shook the room. Everyone finally paid attention to the tiny professor.  
  
"Finally!" grunted Professor Flitwick. "It's time for Princesses Glory and Joy to have their first dances of the night."  
  
Everyone clapped as the Princesses and their escorts walked to the center of the ball room floor. The orchestra stepped aside as Professor Flitwick spoke once again.  
  
"Please welcome the entertainment for the night: Master-made Music!"  
  
Everyone cheered, even though the group seemed foreign to them. They were a rock/pop band from Canada, which was also very popular in many parts of North and South America, Australia and a few parts of Europe.   
  
The band members of Master-made Music (which were 4 people: 2 witches and 2 wizards) walked up to the platform. They wore black and blue robes, with striped ties and silver chains near their waists. The witches wore shorter robes than the boys, almost like mini-dresses. One wizard, who was at the back of the platform playing the drums, had blond spiky hair. The other wizard, unlike the other, was in the front of the platform, and had brown, gelled-back hair, and had an electric guitar in his arms. One girl was a brunette with long hair, which was flipped at the end. She had silver bracelets on each wrist, and also played an electric guitar. The other girl with short, blonde hair, who played the key-board, was the only one who didn't wear a tie, although she did wear a choker.   
  
Once everyone was settled down, the drummer tapped his drumsticks as he counted down.  
  
"One, two, three!"  
  
The band started playing a beautiful slow song, which was actually a great song to Harry. Ron and Princess Joy danced as they gazed peacefully into each other's eyes. Princess Glory and Malfoy did the same, although they did it in a bit more of a stern way (I guess Malfoy and Glory weren't up for that lovey-dovey stuff Glory wasn't amused of). Harry felt he that he couldn't watch the couple, because of the fact that a nice friend of his (though at times she could get not-so-friendly) was dancing with his arch-enemy. Harry could hear sobbing noises from the back of him. Once he turned around, he found out it was Hagrid crying.   
  
"What's wrong, Hagrid?" asked Harry.  
  
"I's jus' so beaut'ful!" sobbed Hagrid, as he gave a huge blow of his nose in a handkerchief. "Princ'ss Joy and Princ'ss Glory, havin' a slow-dance on their sixteenth birthdays. I still remember when they w're wee. Oh, the good ol' days!"  
  
"What kind of things do you remember?"  
  
"Ya see, the thing tha' makes me cry the most is the mem'ry when Princ'ss Joy taught me how t' dance."  
  
"Princess Joy taught you how to dance?"  
  
"Oh yeah! Princ'ss Glory a bi' as well, but she helped me more on d' stuff that I missed in school. Ye know, 'istory, some spells even though I couldn't do 'em, astrol'gy, stuff like that."  
  
"Wow! I never knew that."  
  
"Yep! Do I ev'r love 'em!"   
  
And then the half-giant cried even more. The song ended soon after, and everyone clapped, especially Hagrid.  
  
"All of you may dance with your escorts," called out Professor Flitwick.   
  
The band started again and this time it was a loud, dancing song. Everyone grabbed a partner to dance. Hagrid went up to Princess Joy just as her and Ron were going to dance again.  
  
"Uhm...Joy?" asked Hagrid humbly.  
  
"Yes, Hagrid?" said Joy with a big smile.  
  
"I was wonderin'....Would ya like t' dance, like ol' times?"   
  
"Of course, Hagrid! I would adore it! You don't mind, do you, Ron?"  
  
"No, of course," said Ron, shaking his head. "Go on!"  
  
Princess Joy and Hagrid started dancing. Harry was amazed at how good they were. It seemed as if Hagrid was as young as they were. They twirled, dipped, 'grooved to the beat', you name it.   
  
After watching Hagrid and Joy dancing, Harry decided he would dance as well, even if he never liked it. He found Cho and gave her his hand.  
  
"Would you like to dance, Cho?" he asked softly.  
  
"Gladly."  
  
Both of them rushed to the dance floor as they did some 'moves' of their own. Harry didn't care if he was making a fool of himself. The night was young, and as long as he was with Cho, nothing could go wrong. Waiters and waitresses were walking around, passing out hors d'oeuvres as usual. One waitress came to Harry and Cho in the middle of a great song.  
  
"Would you like some hors d'oeuvres?" asked the waitress with a kind smile. Harry looked at the plate. There was a lot of meat treats on there. He became interested in one with some light-brown meat with stir-fried vegetables and rice on it.  
  
"Sure, I'll try this one," he said as he picked it up. "Would you like anything, Cho?"  
  
"No thanks. I'm full."  
  
Harry took a bite out of the interesting finger food. It was very good, though mysterious.  
  
"What is this, Miss?" asked Harry.  
  
"Teriyaki Japanese pixy with stir-fried veggies and rice on top."  
  
Harry's eyes almost popped out as he listened to those words. He would have spit out his food if it wasn't so good. He remembered in his 2nd year, when Professor Lockhart let out a batch of wild, Cornish pixies that brought absolute chaos and catastrophe to the class.  
  
"Pixies? Those little devils?"  
  
"Yes, Japanese pixies. They're nice and plump, very juicy and great for teriyaki."  
  
"I eat Teriyaki pixies at home, Harry," said Cho. "They're very good for you!"  
  
With all this explanation, Harry gulped down the last piece of pixie.   
  
They're pesky little creatures , thought Harry. It's a good excuse to get rid of them.  
  
The waitress went to the other guests afterwards. The band up on stage started to play another slow song. Cho went close to Harry as they danced slowly. Harry had never had so much fun at a ball in his life. Harry wished the slow dance would never end.   
  
But alas, it did. That night the band played many songs, and all the witches and wizards there danced the night away. Everyone was dancing, even the staff of Hogwarts. Dumbledore was dancing with Professor McGonagoll, Professor Flitwick was dancing with Professor Sprout (it was more like Professor Sprout carrying him than dancing with him) and even Professor Luigi was dancing with Professor Trelawney.   
  
Harry and Cho were dancing near Neville and Ginny. Neville was looking very nervous and stepped on Ginny's feet many times. A mouse-haired 1st year girl tapped Ginny on the shoulder. Ginny looked down at the girl as she asked Ginny something shyly.  
  
"Excuse me," said the little girl. "Do you know where the nearest bathroom is? I'm still not sure where everything is yet."  
  
"Oh don't worry. It's right over there," she said as she flung her arm, pointing to a door. Her arm knocked over the wine glass of Professor Luigi, which spilled all over Malfoy's robes. Malfoy looked down at his soaked robe as he looked at Ginny with burning rage. Princess Glory was looking a bit worried.  
  
"How dare you soak my new robes!" he shouted at her. "Cheap little girls like you shouldn't go off knocking wine glasses onto expensive robes which they obviously can't afford!"  
  
"Draco, how dare you say that to Ginny!" scolded Princess Glory in an angry, disciplinarian voice.  
  
Ginny's eyes became all teary.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Malfoy!" apologized Ginny. "I really didn't mean it!"   
  
"You better be sorry!" he shouted. "I've got to wipe off this stuff on my robes. I'll be back soon, Princess."  
  
Malfoy ran out of the hall in anger. Ginny burst out crying and laid her sobbing head on Neville's shoulders. He felt very shy, not knowing what to do next.  
  
"Don't worry, Ginny," said Princess Glory in a sweet voice. "He didn't mean those awful things. He just gets very hot-tempered sometimes. He was really looking forward to this ball and he bought a brand new, expensive robe. He's really angry, but we all know it was an accident."  
  
"Your Royal Highness, you're so nice to me!" she sobbed as another round of tears came out.  
  
"I'm very sorry that happened, Ginny," said Professor Luigi. "Maybe it's better if you go sit down."  
  
"Yes, Professor Luigi."   
  
Both her and Neville took a seat as she tried to dry her eyes. They all watched Ginny walk away as they looked back on Malfoy's horrible behaviour.   
  
"I feel so sorry for Ginny," said Cho sympathetically. "She didn't deserve to be yelled at like that. I wish Malfoy wouldn't have got so mad at her."  
  
"And I wish my glass of wine didn't spill," said Professor Luigi, looking down at his now-empty wine glass disappointedly. "I liked that wine. It was really good stuff!"  
  
They tried forgetting about the scene and continued dancing, except for Princess Glory. She just stared around the room, waiting for Malfoy to get back. It was quite a while that he was gone. Everyone got very suspicious.   
  
"I wonder what's keeping Malfoy so long," said Harry.  
  
"I know," agreed Professor Luigi. "I'm going to check up on him and see why he's not coming."  
  
Professor Luigi whisked himself out of the room to the boys' bathroom.   
  
"Harry!"  
  
He turned around to see who called him. Remus, with a big grin on his face, was approaching him.   
  
"Harry, how are you tonight?" asked Remus.  
  
"Great!" said Harry. "And you?"  
  
"Wonderful. I really like Julia. I asked her out tonight, and I'm so excited. I'm so sorry I haven't spent time with you this evening."  
  
"It's okay, Remus. I'm having a great time."  
  
"Oh hello, Cho!" said Remus. "Didn't see you there. How do you do?"   
  
"Fine thank you, Remus," said Cho, shaking her hand. "I think I'm going to sit down and let you two catch up."  
  
Cho Chang, as she said went to the tables and took a seat, while Harry and Remus started up a conversation.   
  
"Are you having a good time with Cho?" asked Remus  
  
"I'm having a great time! This is the best ball I've ever been to."  
  
"Well I'm glad you're happy."  
  
A waiter stopped by them as they were talking.  
  
"May I offer any of you fellows some finger food?"  
  
"Of course!" said Remus. "I'll have...this one!" He took the Teriyaki Japanese pixie, although Harry didn't think he knew what it was. "Harry, would you like anything?"  
  
"No thanks."  
  
"That will be all for tonight," said Remus to the waiter.  
  
The waiter went to the next person, while Remus gulped the whole entire thing down.   
  
"Wow, this is wonderful!" said Remus. "It doesn't seem familiar to me at all, though. What is this stuff?"  
  
"Are you sure you want to know?"  
  
"Yeah sure," he said as he zipped some of his wine.  
  
"It's Teriyaki Japanese pixie."  
  
Immediately, Remus spat out his wine, and looked at Harry in shock.  
  
"Japanese....pixie?"  
  
"Yes, pixie. Cho told me she eats it at home."  
  
"My goodness....pixie....I feel....strange..... I just can't believe I ate pixie!"  
  
"Don't worry about it. It's good, isn't it?"  
  
"Good point, Harry. Julia's waving me to go there, so I have to go. Write me a letter, will you?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"All right, good bye!"  
  
"Bye, Remus!"  
  
He watched as his mentor went across the room to his new sweetheart. He wondered when Professor Luigi and Malfoy would come back. He saw Ginny still crying, and then he looked at Princess Glory. She was staring at him with caring eyes, but then turned around once she knew he was looking.   
  
Just when he was about to go sit with Cho, he felt the floor underneath him rumble. Before he knew it, everyone in the room felt it. The glasses, which a second before had been drunken out of with pleasure, were shaking, things were starting fall off the tables, and everyone present in the Great Hall were frightened. It was as if a giant earthquake was taking place. What was even more strange, was that Harry's scar burned like mad, twice as bad as when he fainted and didn't wake up for 2 days.   
  
"What's happening?" screamed Hermione, who was close by.  
  
Everyone was looking around. The walls shook immensely..... And then the unthinkable happened. Death Eaters, masked wizards in black robes, appeared out of the wall on black horses. Wands high up, they started attacking all the people they could find. They turned tables and destroyed everything. One Death Eater pointed at Harry, and suddenly a gang of Death Eaters were running after Harry. Terrified, he ran as fast as he could. Cho, who was under a table, caught up to Harry.   
  
They ran and sped out of the Great Hall, with the gang still after them. They bolted through the corridors, as fast as they could. The Death Eaters were lashing curses and hurtful charms at them all at once, and all the while they were still running. Harry sped off to a fork in the hallways. He went to his left and waited for Cho to catch up.  
  
"Cho!" he called out to her. She found out where he was, and was about to turn to her left when suddenly-  
  
"Ah!!!!" she screamed in pain.  
  
A Death Eater shot her in the arm with a curse.   
  
"Cho!" cried outd Harry.  
  
Harry helped Cho as she stumbled to him in pain. Even so, they ran through the hallway. Harry was panicking and his heart was racing. Cho and Harry turned corridors, only to look ahead and find themselves at a dead-end corridor.  
  
"Oh no!!!!! We're doomed!!!!" Harry shouted.  
  
"What are we going to do?" screeched Cho.  
  
Harry looked around for an exit. There were no windows, no statues, nothing. It was a bare end of a corridor with no escape.  
  
"Harry!!! They're coming!" shouted Cho.  
  
Harry saw the Death Eaters, ready to battle, rushing to him. He was scared stiff.   
  
"This can't be happening," groaned Harry in fright. "Do you have your wand?"  
  
"No! I thought I didn't need my wand!"  
  
Harry graveled with anger with himself.  
  
"I wish I had brought my wand, I just didn't have any place in my dress robe to put it. We're supposed to always bring our wands with us!!!!!!!"  
  
The Death Eaters were getting closer and closer. They both huddled together as they approached them. Their wands were raised at the scared couple. A shriek of evil laughter came out of the group of evil wizards, inches away from them. They were going to hurt them, or maybe even kill them, but then-  
  
The Death Eaters froze, looking like statues. Behind these horrible beings were Princess Joy, Ron, Remus and his new girlfriend Julia. Princess Joy's wand was out, pointed at the Death Eaters. It was obvious she was the one who cast the spell.  
  
"Harry! Cho! Are you both okay?"  
  
They all ran to them and helped them get up. Cho was shrieking with pain.   
  
"Cho, we both can't do anything about your broken arm," said Princess Joy. "It's better if Madame Pomfrey helps you. Julia, is it okay if you stay here with her and protect her?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"We'll be back soon," said Remis to Julua, then he turned to Harry. "I'm sorry! I should have stayed with you."  
  
"It's okay. I'm just glad you're here!" said Harry as he hugged Remis with all his might.  
  
"We're going to have to defeat them ourselves with the rest of those people trying to help the students."  
  
"But I don't have my wand, Joy!" said Ron.  
  
"Neither do I!" said Harry. "I knew I should have brought it!"  
  
"Hold on. Accio wands!" said Joy with a wave of her wand. From the other end of the corridor flew Harry and Ron's wands, and both of them caught them immediately in their hands.  
  
"I might not be as strong as you are!" said Ron. "Remus is an Auror, Harry's defeated Lord Voldemort countless time and you're a Wizard Princess. Compared to all of you, I'm not too strong."  
  
"Ron, don't put yourself down," said Harry. "I can usually beat a Death Eater or two, depending on who it is. I just do whatever's on the top of my head. Do you think I can battle an army of Death Eaters?"  
  
"Just use the most powerful spells you know," said Joy. "I'll tell you the one I used on these Death Eaters. It's 'freezo totiormus'. Say the spell as forceful as you can, okay? And by the way, watch out for those horses. Now let's get 'em!"  
  
With as much courage as possible, they all ran to the Great Hall, leaving Julia and Cho behind. In the Great Hall, they looked up, which what they thought they saw appeared to be a giant skull made of glittery green stars, with a snake tongue floating up high. It was the Dark Mark, the sign of Lord Voldemort. Harry remembered seeing it before at the Quidditch World Cup. But Lord Voldemort was gone. How could his mark appear?   
  
Everyone was freaking out, and they were even more scared when they saw the Dark Mark. There were two Death Eaters terrorizing a wizard and a witch in the corner. Harry went to them, waved his wand and said, "Freezo totiormus!!!!"  
  
The Death Eaters froze immediately. Harry peered behind the Death Eaters, where Hermione and Victor Krum sat scared on the floor..   
  
"Hermione! Krum! Are you both all right?"  
  
"Thanks to you!" said Hermione.   
  
"Now that you're both free, try to use a very powerful spell on the Death Eaters to make them stop, or use 'freezo totiormus'. Say it very forcefully, okay? We need as many witches and wizards possible to fight."  
  
"All right, 'arry," said Krum. "Ve'll try."  
  
It was a long and terrible night for everyone. The guards, who were ordered to protect the ball and the Princesses, were battling their hearts out, and they even had to call in for back up. Many of the students were injured, and would have to go to Madame Pomfrey's the next day.   
  
All the very important people were hurt, but the Ministers for Magic were injured the most. All delegates and ministers had to go to the nearest emergency wizard hospital, because they were in critical condition.   
  
The Princesses' parents weren't hurt surprisingly, basically because they were saved by Princess Glory. She was helping to defeat the Death Eaters, and so was Professor Luigi near the end. Harry never saw Malfoy, however.   
  
The royal pets, roaring loudly, were thrashing at all the Death Eaters and horses and going berserk. After the attack, Hagrid and some others had to get them out of the room with ropes. Even some of the staff were injured.   
  
Once all the battling was over and all the Death Eaters were defeated, their still bodies were sent to Azkaban (they looked like they were petrified) and the horses, which had created such destruction in the Great Hall, were hauled away.   
  
Harry, Hermione and Princess Joy rushed through the corridors and found Cho and sent her quickly to the Infirmary. Later, they caught up with Ron who was with Neville. They were both panicking greatly.   
  
"What's wrong with you both?" asked Harry. "You look as if exams were just moved to tomorrow!"  
  
"We can't find Ginny!" said Ron, gasping for air. "We looked everywhere, and we still can't find her!"  
  
"I remember her rushing out of the Great Hall once the Death Eaters crashed the ball," included Neville. "I have no idea where she is!"  
  
A shaking suit of armor was close by them. Suspiciously, they came closer to it. Neville pulled off the metal helmet, to reveal a shaking, ginger-haired girl.  
  
"Ginny!" screamed Neville. "There you were! We've been looking all over for you!"  
  
"D-d-d-d-eath Eat-t-t-ers!" she stuttered in fear. "A-ar-my o-of D-death Eat-t-t-ers. I've b-b-battled others, b-but a-an army! I-I-I w-w-will have n-n-n-ight-t-mares for a m-m-month!"  
  
"Get out of there, dear!" instructed Princess Joy.   
  
"Joy!" called out Princess Glory as she ran to them. "I'm glad you're here. We're going to have a brief meeting with Father and the Hogwarts professors. All of you are instructed to go to your dormitories. Ginny? What are you doing in there?"  
  
"H-h-h-hiding!" she squeaked.  
  
"Well, you should get out of there and go to bed."  
  
With the help of those around her, Ginny climbed out of the suit of armor and huddled to Princess Glory.   
  
"Princess Glory?" asked Harry. "What happened with Professor Luigi and Malfoy?"  
  
"Malfoy had a hard time getting the stains off, and he still hasn't gotten them off. Once the castle shook and the Death Eaters came, Draco absolutely freaked out! Professor Luigi had to calm him down. Draco stayed in the washroom and Professor Luigi finally helped us with those awful Death Eaters. He's in the Slytherin common room right now."  
  
"Wow, Malfoy's a chicken!" said Ron.  
  
"Ron, don't you dare say that about him!" scolded Princess Glory. "We were all scared this evening. I think all of you should go to bed. Joy, follow me. I would like to get this meeting over with. My heels are aching and I'm getting headaches from all that hairspray."  
  
"Bye, guys!" said Joy, waving goodbye to them. "Hope you don't get nightmares! Or at least, I hope they don't last for too long!"  
  
Hurriedly, she scurried off with Princess Glory into the dark hallways.  
  
"Princess Glory's right!" said Hermione. "We have to go to bed. It's the best thing to do right now. Ron, we should check on the other students in Gryffindor. The 1st and 2nd years are probably scared stiff."  
  
"I don't think I'll sleep tonight after this," said Ron. "I'll be shaking the whole night."  
  
"And you're not just speaking for yourself!" said Neville.  
  
**************************  
  
Everyone in the castle was scared stiff the morning after. All the students seemed very startled the whole entire day. They jumped at the smallest things, and looked around them wherever they went.   
  
The staff wasn't in top shape either. The Professors seemed tired, probably because they didn't seem to have had any sleep from the other night. There were even a few professors with serious injuries. Professor Dumbledore suffered from a broken arm, and couldn't do magic for a while. Professor McGonagoll had a broken leg, and couldn't do too much work. Professor Trelawney had a serious concussion.  
  
There weren't many students anyway. A lot of them were in the Hospital Wing. There were so many injured students, that they had to extend the Hospital Wing to other empty rooms in the castle.   
  
Harry, most of all, was frightened. Just when he thought he would finally have a good year, there was that Dark Mark hovering high in the Great Hall, with Death Eaters cursing everywhere. What would happen next? Voldemort couldn't be back, could he? He didn't know at all what would happen next that year.   
  
The story about the attack at the ball was front page on The Daily Prophet. It also reported in the very many articles dedicated to the event that all the Death Eaters that were sent to prison during the war of that summer, mysteriously vanished before the attack. Also in the newspaper, there had been a very long article about the Princesses' escorts for the evening. Ron turned red at his description in the article, while Draco Malfoy was prancing about proudly about his name mentioned in the article.  
  
But the one the most worked up was Princess Glory. She looked absolutely awful the next day; she was so incredibly pale, with large, dark circles around her eyes and a grim expression all over her face. She wouldn't even stop shaking, and she constantly vomited. It looked like she hadn't slept in days. Surprisingly, she didn't pay attention to her lessons! She slept during her classes, having nightmares during those times of sleeping.  
  
The last class of the day was Potions. While Professor Snape was explaining the steps for a Disease-Curing Potion, Princess Glory was tossing and turning in her sleep as she lay her head on a pile of books.  
  
"Once you've inserted the migwillam goo... Princess Glory, are you all right?"  
  
Princess Glory snapped and woke up immediately.   
  
"Order soldiers aligned around the castle and put double curses surrounding Hogwarts!!!!" she screamed out.  
  
"Your Royal Highness, what are you talking about?" questioned Snape.  
  
"What? Where am I? Oh, no! I slept through another class! What were we discussing?"  
  
"We were discussing Disease-Curing Potions, but that's not to be worried about. I think it's best if you go to the Infirmary. You don't look well."  
  
"No, I have to know the lesson! It's a NEWT course!"  
  
"Your health is more important right now," stated Snape, getting everyone in the class jealous (as if he'd say anything to that to anyone else!). "I'll tell you about the lesson later, and I'll even give you some notes. Just try and get some rest."  
  
Princess Glory lifted herself up and walked to the door, stumbling.  
  
"Tiffany, Ruth, Vicky and Lucy, go help Princess Glory to the Infirmary," demanded Snape.  
  
All four of her friends rushed to the nervous wreck of what remained of Princess Glory as they helped her stand up and lead her to Madame Pomfrey. Harry was shocked at how awful Princess Glory was.   
  
The next day, more students came out of the Infirmary. It turned out Professor Dumbledore ordered special nurses to take care of Princess Glory in her rooms. Thankfully, she was better the day afterwards. Harry was going to his first class after breakfast (which was Defense Against the Dark Arts) when Princess Glory stopped him.  
  
"Harry, I wanted to talk to you," she told him after stopping him in the hallway.   
  
"I'm listening," said Harry.   
  
"I really want to thank you for that diary, Harry."  
  
"Your welcome. But Princess Glory-"  
  
"Don't worry, just call me Glory," she said. "We're friends, and friends don't have to call each other by titles."  
  
"All right.... But Glory, why does that diary seem so special to you?"  
  
"It's a long story," started Glory. "When I was younger, I had this diary that I adored more than anything in the world. I wrote everything in it. However, there was this one time, when Lord Voldemort- Do you mind me saying the word 'Voldemort'?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay with it," said Harry.  
  
"When Lord Voldemort was after my sister and I, he was sending spies after us and everything. It was so dangerous, that they had to burn my diary. I was so heart-broken, that I never took up writing again. Now that I have this diary, I can start writing. Thank you so much Harry, for giving me the courage to keep a diary."  
  
"Your welcome," said Harry in an astonished tone. "I never knew it meant that much to you though."  
  
"It's okay. I guess you have to go to class, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess I do. See you!"  
  
"See you later!"  
  
Harry went to Defense Against the Dark Arts, where they learned about counter spells against dragon effects. After the school day ended, Princess Joy (who may I add, had immediately started to wear the necklace Ron gave her the day after the party) brought them out into the grounds. Harry had no idea why he was brought out of the castle.  
  
"Come on, Joy!" pleaded Ron. "Tell us where you're taking us!"  
  
"I guess you can figure it out now!" she said.   
  
Halting to a stop, all four of them stood before the carriage and talking unicorn that Dumbledore gave Princess Joy for her birthday, with one of Princess Joy's knights was in the drivers' seat. Joy had told them that there were a few black knights, which were the official royal guards of the Princesses, stationed in a few places at Hogwarts because of the attack. His black metal hood was off, which showed a dopey face with big teeth. He looked very strange for a knight.  
  
"Haven't you guessed it?" asked Joy. "I'm taking you on a ride in my new carriage!"  
  
"Wicked!" said Ron.  
  
"Have you named your unicorn yet?" asked Hermione, glaring at the beautiful unicorn as it whinnied.   
  
"It's not official yet, but I'm think of calling it 'Cherish', because I cherish this present so much! What do you think of it, Cherish?"  
  
"I think it's lovely," said the talking unicorn. "It was better than my other name: 'Checkerboard'!"  
  
"Yuck, I hate that name!" criticized Joy.  
  
"Tell me about it!" agreed the unicorn.  
  
"What do you think about the name, George?" asked Joy to the black knight.  
  
"I think it's a wonderful name!" agreed the knight.  
  
"Well, let's get on with this ride," said Joy merrily.  
  
The knight hopped off the drivers' seat and opened the carriage door for them. The carriage reminded him of a cross between Cinderella's carriage and the Queen's carriage at first, with the globe carriage and wheels (of course, a lot more majestically decorated), but once he set foot in it, the carriage looked more different than he expected from the outside.   
  
The little space he thought was inside was actually a giant room. It looked a lot like the Gryffindor common room, except smaller with more lively colours and a cheery feeling to it. Portraits of her, her family and Dumbledore were placed around the room. She also had very nice and cheery paintings: children at the beach, fields of flowers, pictures of sisters on a bench, etc.   
  
"Whoa, you even have a fire place!" pointed out Ron.   
  
At the side of the room, was a large fireplace, flaming away. It was amazing, that a fire place was in a carriage, even though there was no trace of a chimney. There was a giant painting of her, her sister and Dumbledore above the fire place.   
  
"I absolutely love it!" said Hermione. "Looks a bit like our common room, but yet it has its own personality."  
  
"It's very nice," agreed Harry, "and it's cozy. I love how it gets bigger once you step in."  
  
"I've fallen in love with this once I looked through it yesterday," sighed Joy. "I wanted to take my mind off the attack, and don't you just love the windows?"  
  
Harry looked outside the room to the lush, green grass of Hogwarts. It was an interesting way of transportation. Inside it looked like a room, yet it had carriage doors and big windows that showed the outdoors.   
  
"Sit down, pals," said Joy. "Let's get this thing starting. George, we're ready."  
  
George gave a thumbs up from the carriage door. While everyone took their seat on the couches (yes, there were carriages), he hopped onto the drivers' seat and signaled the horse to start trotting.   
  
The ride on the carriage was a very smooth one. Harry loved going passed the landscapes that Hogwarts had to offer. The went passed the lake, the Quidditch field, across the scenery of the Forbidden Forest and much more. They all chatted while on their ride, until Princess Joy brought something up.  
  
"So, have any ideas of the cause of that attack?" asked Princess Joy.  
  
Everyone was in shock with the question.  
  
"What do you mean?" questioned Hermione.  
  
"I mean that I want to know what you three think of the attack! I want to get this thing solved."  
  
"Really? You do?" asked Ron confusingly.  
  
"Of course! I've heard about all the mysteries you've solved, and I've always wished that I could be a part of them! So, what do you think caused it?"  
  
"I'm blank with ideas!" said Harry. "Although I am very suspicious about Malfoy. He was out of the Great Hall the whole entire time the attack occurred, but Professor Luigi told us he was with him. That means he couldn't have been up to something bad."  
  
"I think he is!" Ron interrupted. "I mean, it's so obvious it's him."  
  
"But if Professor Luigi was there, that means he wasn't doing something bad," suggested Joy. "Or was he?"  
  
"We were told that Malfoy was all freaking out at the ball," said Hermione. "What if it was a cover up, so that he didn't have to go in there?"  
  
"Good point," said Harry, "but if he really was trying to stay away from the ball, why was he staying away from it in the first place?"  
  
"I have no idea, Harry," admitted Joy. "What I'm really interested in knowing is that Dark Mark. Lord Voldemort is dead. My sister and I slew him! Why would it be up there?"  
  
"He couldn't have come back," said Hermione. "It can't really be him doing this. It has to be someone else. Oh my goodness!"  
  
"What is it, Hermione?"  
  
"What if someone was trying to finish You-Know-Who's work?" implied Hermione fretfully. "What if someone who was helping him, is now trying to continue the evil he created?"  
  
"That's a great theory, Hermione," said Joy. "But who would?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" questioned Harry. "Malfoy's the one! His father was a Death Eater, and his family supported Lord Voldemort!"  
  
"What do you mean, that Malfoy's father was a Death Eater?" questioned Joy. "We sent all the Death Eaters to jail in the summer. We had a list of names of all those on the other side. The name 'Malfoy' was not on that list!"  
  
"He could have been helping and supporting the Dark Wizard behind the scenes," implied Hermione, "and have you read The Daily Prophet? All the Death Eaters were gone before the attack from Azkaban!"  
  
"Now that's something else I wanted to talk to you all three about," said Joy. "It's that release from Azkaban as well! How could they have vanished?"  
  
"I have no idea," said Harry, then an idea popped in his head. "Wait a minute! Wasn't Malfoy and Glory very late for the ball?"  
  
"Yeah, Harry!" said Joy. "Malfoy could have gone from Hogwarts and went to Azkaban! He probably made my sister wait for him as well. Poor Glory!"  
  
"How could he have?" enquired Hermione. "Students aren't aloud to leave without permission."  
  
"His father could have released them!" suggested Ron. "His father could have gotten them out for them, and his son could have helped him do that, since the Dementors are, or were, with Voldemort. They're all in a scheme!"  
  
"To think my poor sister is dating him," pouted Joy. "If only she knew!"  
  
"By the way, wasn't it odd that all the Ministers for Magic were in critical condition?" indicated Hermione. "Thank goodness Princess Glory-"  
  
"I think you can just call her 'Glory' now," said Harry. "She told me we could call her that. We're all friends with her."  
  
"Thank goodness! Anyway, it was great that Glory saved your parents. Your father and mother could have been badly hurt."  
  
"Will you believe it? They're going to be in the hospital for a month!" implied Ron. "Just to think, almost all world leaders in the magical governments are injured badly!   
  
"And they all have a meeting about the monarchy in two weeks!" implied Joy. "They won't be able to attend!"  
  
"Hold on!" shouted Ron. "Wasn't Lord Voldemort against you both?"  
  
"I know! It feels strange as well. Of all the people who were famous and powerful, you'd think their goal would be to go after us, wouldn't they?"  
  
"Some of the Hogwarts teachers were hurt as well," included Harry. "Professor Dumbledore can't do too much magic because of his broken arm, Professor McGonagoll can't get involved with too much stuff because she can't walk too well with her broken leg and Professor Trelawney can't teach with her injured head because of the concussion."  
  
"So, in a way," said Hermione, "the school is vulnerable now, isn't it?"  
  
"What do you mean, Hermione?"  
  
"I mean, Harry, that without Dumbledore, McGonagoll and Trelawney, the school isn't so strong anymore. Dumbledore's the Headmaster, and without his magic the school isn't as protected in a way. And Professor McGonagoll, she's Deputy Headmistress! She can't do too much because of her broken leg!"  
  
"Professor Trelawney can't do predictions anymore," included Joy, "because of her concussion. That means she can't see what's in for Hogwarts."  
  
"You mean, she can't see further attacks?" asked Hermione.  
  
"I guess not. I guess the school is weak enough to be under another attack."  
  
"We've got you, Harry and Glory, though," said Ron. "Hogwarts is protected, isn't it?"  
  
For a moment, there was a dead silence throughout the carriage. No one really knew is Hogwarts was protected and that the wizards and witches in it would be safe. They had injured Dumbledore, of course. Could they, whoever 'they' were, seriously hurt his great-great-granddaughters?  
  
The silence finally broke once the flapping of wings and roars were heard through the grounds. Harry looked out the window to see what it was. He looked up high, and saw a massive creature with wings, its mane blowing in the wind. On top of it was a tall, young girl, with a majestic air to her.  
  
"Glory!" called out Joy from the window. "Come here! George, please stop the carriage."  
  
The carriage slowed down, and as did the creature and its rider. It was Glory and her hippigryph, taking a ride in the wind. The carriage halted, as Glory and her hippigryph stopped beside the carriage. She took off her blue helmet and hopped off her massive, regal pet. George opened the carriage door and let Harry, Ron, Hermione and Joy get out.   
  
"What are you doing out here with Tsarina, Glory?" asked Joy.  
  
"I needed a break from all this worrying and Tsarina was getting restless, so we decided to take a ride," replied Glory. "I see you all took a ride as well."  
  
"Yep! I let them all see my new carriage."  
  
"Do you all want to see my carriage?" offered Glory. "I haven't ridden in it yet, so I'm dying to try it out. It's nicely decorated though, and I love the interior."  
  
"Yes, Nono Albus really knows what we like, doesn't he?"  
  
"I know. It's a shame he can't do magic for a while. George, would you please get my carriage for me? Tsarina, would you fetch Tiffany, Ruth, Vicky and Lucy for me, please? I would like to show them my new carriage as well."  
  
"You can put my carriage away while you're getting Glory's, George," included Joy. "I think we're finished with it for today."  
  
George, with a reassuring nod, went off with the carriage into the ground to the castle, and Tsarina flapped her giant wings and flew away to the Ravenclaw common room.  
  
"By the way, Glory, why wasn't Tiffany, Ruth, Vicky and Lucy at the ball?" asked Harry.  
  
"Oh, they weren't feeling too well," responded Glory. "Vicky's cousin from Beauxbatons sent her a batch of cookies. Her cousin was just starting to learn how to cook and she wanted her to try her baking. Vicky and the rest of my friends ate all the cookies, but it turns out Vicky's cousin isn't too great at cooking and they all got sick. They were so disappointed they couldn't make it. I promised them we'd have our own little party in my rooms. They're all better now. By the way Hermione, I started reading that book you gave me. It's very interesting!"  
  
"Your welcome!"  
  
"So, what were you discussing in the carriage?"  
  
"Uh.... Nothing, Sis!"  
  
"Nothing?"  
  
"Yep, nothing!"  
  
"All right.... Oh look! There's George with my carriage!"  
  
The black knight was driving Glory's carriage to them. It looked a lot like Joy's carriage, except that it had Glory's coat of arms instead. Soon after, Tsarina came back with Tiffany, Ruth, Vicky and Lucy. George opened the carriage as they all entered in.   
  
It was very different from Joy's room. It looked like what would probably be like the Ravenclaw common room, except that the decor looked a lot like it was from the Elizabethan Age. Very old-fashioned mahogany furniture, with paintings of the family, an old-fashioned fire place and a book-case full of new books furnished the room. Hermione was interested in the book case, while Harry was looking at all the details that were very different to Joy's sense of style. Everyone sat down on the antique furniture as George drove off, with Tsarina flying above them.   
  
"Glory, have you named your unicorn yet?" asked Joy. "I've already named mine 'Cherish'. Have any idea what you're going to name yours?"  
  
"Hmm... I haven't really thought about it," said Glory. "I was thinking about the name a bit at the ball. How does Marguerite D'Hogwarts sound like?"  
  
"Marguerite D'Hogwarts?" repeated Joy. Harry knew that she wasn't too fond of the name. "I guess that's....nice. It's an interesting name. Not quite my type of name that I like, but it's cool."  
  
"I got it from Marguerite D'Youville. You know, that French-Canadian saint? Anyway, I like it. What do all of you think?"  
  
"I love it!" said Tiffany. "It has so much character!"  
  
"I agree," said Ruth. "It's creative."  
  
"It's really nice," agreed Lucy. "That you put 'Hogwarts' in the name really corresponds to where you got the present and who gave it to you."  
  
"I so agree with all of them," said Vicky. "A really cute title!"  
  
"And you?" asked Glory.  
  
"I like it as well," agreed Hermione.  
  
"Unique," said Harry, trying to find something to describe it. It was a classy name, and it was unique. It just sounded weird for a unicorn, even if it did talk.  
  
"Should you be giving titles to unicorns?" asked Ron. "It's not quite the name you'd give a unicorn. Most unicorns are dainty and everything."  
  
"That's what white unicorns are like," said Glory, "not black ones. They're a lot more stern and serious, though loving. Besides, I hate being just ordinary, it's too boring. I like unique!"  
  
They chatted even more during their ride. Harry glared out the window, once again. For some reason, he saw Tsarina flying to the castle, away from the carriage.  
  
"Glory, why's Tsarina flying away?" asked Harry.  
  
Glory, with a curious expression, looked through the window of the carriage.   
  
"Wow, I don't know. Maybe she's tired."  
  
In fact, Tsarina wasn't tired, but was actually out to do something else. After a while, Tsarina came back holding a rolled-up letter.  
  
"Stop the carriage, George," ordered Glory. "I think Tsarina has something for us."  
  
The carriage slowly halted, and once the carriage was steady on the ground, Glory got out to go to Tsarina. Tsarina landed on the lush grass and spat out the parchment in her mouth. Glory (who all of them had no idea how she could stand the spit) unrolled it and read it quickly.   
  
"Joy, come here!" she called out after reading the letter.  
  
Joy came out of the carriage, and so did everybody else.   
  
"Read this, Joy," instructed Glory, handing her the letter (Joy wasn't too pleased with the hippigryph spit on it). "We have another meeting with the staff. We really have to talk about this attack. Everyone's shaken up. Tsarina, go up to your stable. All of you can keep on riding. Just remember to stop the ride in 10 minutes and to go up to your common rooms to do your homework. Once they get out, George, bring the carriages outback. I'll meet you in the staff room, Joy. We have to hurry up, since I have a dueling meeting with Professor Flitwick in an hour and a half. Bye, everyone!"  
  
She immediately snapped her fingers, and suddenly, a swirl of multi-coloured fire flickered and swirled around her until it looked as if it consumed her. Once the fire ceased, she was gone.   
  
"What happened?" asked Ron curiously.  
  
"She disapparated, of course!" responded Joy. "You know about apparating and disapparating, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah, five of my brothers know how, but they never do it like that. That looks more like floo powder!"  
  
"That's how we apparate. Wizard Royalty always apparate like that. Hers is a fire effect and mine's water."  
  
"Aren't you too young to apparate?" asked Hermione  
  
"We already have our licenses, Hermione. In Italy, we get them earlier."  
  
"Is it real fire and real water?"  
  
"No, it isn't. It's almost like an illusion, but if you go too close to Glory's flames, you might get a rash. A few times, it can leave ashes. Sometimes after I disapparate, the area around me becomes a bit moist and damp. One time I left some seashells behind! Oh dear, I should go. Bye, guys!"  
  
"Bye!" said everyone in unison.  
  
She snapped her fingers, just like Glory, and suddenly a rush of water covered her, and once it went down, she disappeared. They all hopped back into the carriage and rode for a little while longer. After the ride, they went back to their common rooms and finished their homework.   
  
That evening, all Harry thought about was about the cause of the attack. Every factor of that night could be a suspect for causing the attack. So many questions went through his head. What had happened? Why had it happened? Would Hogwarts be safe? Would...he be safe?  
  
Author's Note: PLEASE REVIEW (no flames) and have a merry Christmas and a happy new year (or whatever you're celebrating)! 


	10. The First Quidditch Game of the Year

Harry Potter and the Princesses for Magic  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, and I don't own any other things that I mentioned in the previous disclaimers. Oh, and for Chapter 3, I think I forgot to write a disclaimer (or did I write it on the bottom? I'm not sure.....). In that disclaimer, I meant to say that I didn't own the Thunderbird that belongs to Ford. Yeah, that's it.  
  
Author's Note: Hello reader/readers, and welcome to 2004!!!!!! Sorry, I just love saying that it's 2004!!!!!. Anyway, where did we leave off? Oh, the Princesses had their ball and an attack of Death Eaters crashed their party. This chapter is about, as you can see, the first Quidditch game of the year, and let me tell you now, Glory gets a bit heated up, and so does the Quidditch pitch! (You'll have to read the chapter to understand it, so PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!!!). Oh, and PLEASE no flames, not for 2004!!!! Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 10  
  
First Quidditch Game of the Year  
  
A couple of weeks after the ball, the Hogwarts Quidditch season would start. The Gryffindor Quidditch team ran themselves ragged so they would be ready for that first official day playing on the field. Harry woke up the morning of the Quidditch game, feeling like he was going to vomit. He was so incredibly nervous for that day's game, Gryffindor against Slytherin, for it would seem like it was his fault if the Gryffindors lost. Would he really want to be the cause of their grief for Gryffindor's defeat in Quidditch?  
  
He got dressed, trembling as Quidditch tips spun in his head, and stumbled downstairs to breakfast. In the Great Hall, he saw Hermione, Ron and Joy seated at the table. Joy was wearing the hair band Harry had given her. She seemed very calm at breakfast, despite the big event taking place that morning. She slapped on some butter and jam on toast and munched it all up, while the other Gryffindor players weren't feeling too well to eat. Ron didn't eat much either.  
  
While Harry was poking at the sausage on his plate with his fork, Princess Glory entered the Great Hall with her friends behind her. She had a dreadfully anxious look drenched all over her face. Princess Joy, worried for her sister, approached Glory to see what was the matter.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Joy, looking at Glory worriedly.  
  
"I don't know," mumbled Glory with a lost and puzzled expression. "I feel like I forgot something."  
  
"Don't worry!" encouraged Joy, patting Glory on the shoulder. "It's not as if you have classes today. It's Saturday! It's the week-end, so relax. Just relax!"  
  
"I guess I should," sighed Glory, but quickly turned to Joy. "Why aren't you worried? You've got a Quidditch game today, haven't you?"  
  
"I know, but there's nothing for me to worry about! I'll just do my best and if we don't win, it's not the end of the world. It would only be the game that would be lost, not our lives!"  
  
"You're so right," said Glory. "I wish I was more calm like you. I think I'll-"  
  
Suddenly, Princess Glory sped off to the washroom like lightening with blown-up cheeks and her hand over her mouth. Her friends rushed after her as she burst out of the doors of the Great Hall.  
  
Princess Joy, in a sympathetic sigh, walked back to the Gryffindor table, shaking her head. She plopped down on the seat, took some bacon from the bowl in the middle of the table and slapped it on her plate.  
  
"She's nervous, isn't she?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Yes she is, and for no real reason at that too. She feels as if she forgot something and now she's all tense over it. She does this all the time!"  
  
"Speaking of time, we have to get ready soon," said Harry as he looked at his watch. Fifteen minutes after that, he called out to the Quidditch players at the table. "Gryffindor Quidditch players, let's get to the changing rooms!"  
  
At his announcement, all Gryffindor Quidditch players reluctantly left the table and the Great Hall. Harry went to the Gryffindor Quidditch changing room, as Gryffindor players went with him as well.  
  
The Gryffindor team quickly got themselves together in their changing room, getting ready for the game. Harry nicely and professionally polished his Stella Velocita 29 for the game. It would be his first time playing an official game flying on it, and he hoped, or more likely, he prayed that it would do him good.  
  
It was a bit hard though, to polish with his sweaty hands. Harry's hands were soaked with sweat, there was a lump in his throat and he was full of anxiety. He was the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, and the Gryffindor seeker. He had two incredibly important jobs that had a massive effect on their game. Harry went through all the strategies with his team and reminded himself of them too. Ron was very nervous, while Joy seemed to be very calm and cheerful, the only one to have a smile in the changing room.   
  
"All of you try to remember the strategies we went over, okay?" reminded Harry to the team. "And remember, cover your opposite opponent."  
  
As soon as they were ready, they got their brooms, went on the platform and were getting ready to fly out into the field. Though suddenly, before they became absolutely ready to fly out, someone called out to the team. Harry looked in the direction the call was coming from, and in that direction he recognized Oliver Wood, the former Gryffindor Quidditch captain who taught Harry how to play Quidditch. The handsome young man, wearing a casual wizard robe and a sporty smile on his face, approached the team quickly.  
  
"Hey, Gryffindor team!" said Oliver in his Scottish accent.   
  
"Hi, Oliver!" greeted Harry, thankful that someone who knew about the pressures of being captain was there. "How are you?"  
  
"Great! Eh, I hope you all have a great game. Ah, it's so wonderful to see the Quidditch field again. Princess Joy, you're on the Gryffindor team?"  
  
"Yep!" she answered perkily. "I'm Beater."  
  
"Well if I was captain, I'd be sure glad to have you on my team."  
  
"Oliver, what are you doing these days since you've finished at Hogwarts?" asked Ron.  
  
"I'm helping Mr. Bagman now, kind of like a page for him. I'm also coaching a junior Quidditch league in my hometown, and I play for my local Quidditch team. In a few months, they'll have try-outs for Scotland's Quidditch team, and I think I might try out."  
  
"That's great, Oliver!"  
  
"Thanks! Now, Harry," said Oliver, turning to Harry, "just try to do your best. I'm routing for you. See you all later!"  
  
After assuring this, he ran off into the stands. The Gryffindor team, now completely ready, waited for their call. From the stands, they could hear Lee Jordan, as volunteer announcer, starting off the game in a greeting.  
  
"Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the first Quidditch game of the season!" shouted Lee Jordan. "Today, it's the Slytherin team verses the Gryffindor team! "Before we start, I'd like to introduce the teams and mention a few new players on each team. New on the Gryffindor team, Her Royal Highness Princess Joy and Ginny Weasley as Beaters, and Danielle Ringum, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas as Chasers! As well, the new Quidditch captain for the Gryffindor Quidditch team is none other than our famous hero, Harry Potter! Now I am pleased to present to you, the Gryffindor Quidditch team of this year!"  
  
At that call, the Gryffindor Quidditch team flew out into the field, and a roar of cheers from the stands were echoed into the field from those supporting the Gryffindor, and a roar of boos came from around the pitch from those opposing them. Harry's new broom sliced through the air like a hot knife through butter, though he was still in complete control. Knowing that his broom functioned properly, Harry became just slightly soothed.  
  
"New on the Slytherin team," continued Lee Jordan, "Richard Merendez, Donald Stickwell and Joe Roverbite for Chasers! As well, the new captain is the Slytherin seeker, Draco Malfoy! And now, here comes the Slytherin Quidditch team!"  
  
Draco Malfoy, sitting proudly on his broom, and his team flew to the middle of the field, hovering face-to-face with the opposing team. Many boos and cheers filled the Quidditch field, from those voting for the Slytherins and those against them (and might I add, there were more who were against them).   
  
As both teams were hovering opposite sides of each other way up above the middle of the Quidditch field, Malfoy gave an evil smile at Harry.  
  
"Come on! You know you can't beat us, Potter," snickered Malfoy. "You're better off quitting while you can."  
  
"I think you're the one who should be quitting, Malfoy," chuckled Harry back to Malfoy. "Your record proves it well. You've never won a game against me since you joined the Slytherin team!"  
  
Malfoy burned in anger at the "comeback" from Harry. Malfoy, very frustrated, turned his view to the staff bleachers. There, in the front of the special stands for the staff and visiting guests of Hogwarts, was Princess Glory, looking extremely grim and obligated, making it obvious that she didn't want to be there. Harry already knew that she didn't like Quidditch, and it was easy to recognize it too by looking at her. Malfoy, nonetheless, waved at the uncomfortable princess, and she waved back with a forced smile.   
  
"Mme. Hooche is coming out to the field," announced Lee Jordan, as Mme Hooche in referee robes walked into the field with the chest of Quidditch balls under her arm. "She is carrying the case with Quidditch balls, and she will release them once she blows the whistle."  
  
"Remember all of you, I don't want a dirty, barbaric game this morning," she reminded all the players, and then she began to count down. "On your mark... Get set... Go!"  
  
She gave a long blow out of the whistle, and immediately the Bludgers, the Quaffle and the Golden Snitch were released into the air. All the Chasers covered their Slytherin opponents opposite of them. Dean Thomas flew in front of his Slytherin opponent, snatched the Quaffle, flew across the field and threw it into one of the Slytherin hoops.   
  
"Dean Thomas scores!" shouted Lee Jordan. "Great goal, Dean. Ten points to Gryffindor!"  
  
Yes! thought Harry to himself. Ten points for Gryffindor were added to the scoreboard. Harry was at the start of becoming somewhat relaxed, now that he knew his plan was working, and the fact that they had scored 10 points.   
  
Harry, his heart pounding, started looking around trying to find the Snitch. He saw a spot of gold hovering near the Gryffindor hoops, and at this glance, Harry flew quickly to the little sparkle. Malfoy spotted Harry going after the Snitch, and realizing it would be a good idea to follow him, flew after Harry and caught up to him. Malfoy ruggedly pushed Harry to get to the Snitch, but Harry caught up closer to the Snitch again (kudos to his new broom).   
  
"Malfoy has pushed Potter away from him, yet Potter still caught up," called Lee. "This may be with the help of his new broom, the Stella Velocita 29, which is from the makers of Princess Joy's broom too, the Stella Velocita 31. Made by fine Italian broom craftsmanship -"  
  
"Lee Jordan, please don't get off topic!" scolded Professor McGonagoll.  
  
"All right, Professor McGonagoll!"  
  
The Snitch turned in another direction and flew away. Both Malfoy and Harry, who were so close to the Snitch, had lost sight of the golden ball.   
  
"Oh no!" called out Lee Jordan. "Both Seekers have lost track of the Golden Snitch. Remember folks, and this is to all of you 1st years who are just learning about the game too, the Snitch is worth a 150 points, and once one of the Seekers has caught it, that team immediately gains the points and finishes the game. The Golden Snitch was actually invited by-"  
  
"Lee Jordan!" shouted Professor Flitwick. "The students get enough lecturing during school. Please get on with the game!"  
  
"Of course, Professor Flitwick. I'll do my best!"  
  
Harry was trying to catch a glimpse of the Golden Snitch, while keeping an eye on Malfoy. Malfoy could try and bump Harry once again if he wasn't careful, and he might steal the Snitch, if that was ever to happen!  
  
"Seamus Finnigan has the Quaffle. He's flying to the Slytherin goals - he shoots - he scores! Another ten points to Gryffindor."  
  
Harry, with a feeling of 'yahoo!', was still trying to look for the Golden Snitch. He couldn't see the little ball at all. Malfoy, like usual, was spying on Harry, watching until Harry would go for the ball and then follow him. During his hopeless search, Harry watched Ginny and Joy hit the Bludgers away from the players. His friends were pretty good Beaters, maybe as good as Fred and George.   
  
"Richard Merendez has taken possession of the Quaffle. He's flying to Ron Weasley. Will he score? He shoots the Quaffle.... and Ron Weasley catches it. Good catch, Ron!"  
  
Soon after he tried to get a goal, Crabbe, one of the Slytherin Beaters, turned his broom, flew straight between Joy and Ron and stole the Bludger away from them (surprisingly, he and Goyle could actually balance on a broom!). Once he had the Bludger, he knocked it with his Beater's club at Ron. He ducked, just as Richard Merendez shot the Quaffle which went into the hoop.  
  
"Richard Merendez scores a despicable goal into the Gryffindor hoops. You filthy little- Oops! Sorry, Professor McGonagoll. Just remembered what you were saying before. Ten points to Slytherin, unfortunately."  
  
Damnit! thought Harry to himself angrily. Is this what Malfoy's teaching his team? Well if so, we'll be in for a rough game.   
  
Ten points were given to the Slytherin team on the scoreboard. Because of the duck Ron made that let the Quaffle in the Gryffindor hoops, the Slytherins started to sing "Weasley is Our King", which made Ron quite angry.   
  
Harry looked around the field, still trying to find the Golden Snitch. He could see from the corner of his eye Malfoy watching him like a hawk. While he was flying around trying to find it, Donald Stickwell thought it was a good idea to throw the Quaffle at Harry.  
  
"Donald Stickwell's going to make a goa- Wait, he's not. He's going close to Harry. He's going to hit Harry with the Quaffle! Look out, Harry!"  
  
Harry stopped looking for the Snitch once he heard Lee's call. He looked behind him to see a Quaffle flying straight at him, and ducked as quickly as possible.   
  
"That was a close call," muttered Harry to himself, a bit angry the Slytherins would play more ruthlessly than he though. "What a loser! Can't that Stickwell leave the beating to the Beaters and use the Quaffle to make a stupid goal?"   
  
"You filthy, Slytherin scoundrels!" shouted Professor McGonagoll in rage.  
  
Harry, who was trying to fly as far away from the Quaffle and Donald Stickwell as he could, ducked below all the Quidditch players. Just as he turned his head, he saw the tiny mischievous ball of gold hovering above his left shoulder. The Snitch zoomed away, while Harry Potter quickly got on its trail. Malfoy spotted Harry and the Snitch, and flew to them. Malfoy managed to catch up with Harry, as they raced to get the Snitch.   
  
"You have no chance at this, Potter!" said Malfoy with an evil grin.  
  
"Sorry, that's not going to happen," commented Harry. "I think you're just predicting your own future."  
  
The two Seekers were neck-and-neck as they glided around the field. Princess Joy and Ginny were still keeping the Bludgers out of the players' ways. Out of nowhere, Goyle knocked the Bludger out of Joy and Ginny's reach with the club, to hit it right at Harry. Luckily, Harry had taken a quick glance and had seen it coming, and with fast dive he escaped the Bludger.   
  
From Harry's duck, both him and Malfoy lost track of the Snitch. Harry found the Snitch underneath him, and finding it, he tried to go after the troublesome Snitch, with a small distance from arm's reach to catch it. Joy, who gave a disgusted look at Goyle, tried to hit the Bludger away from them all, but unfortunately, the Bludger came back. Both Ginny and Joy hit the Bludger hard, but the Beaters on the Slytherin team had already gotten hold of the other Bludger, and were trying to hit it at a player on the Gryffindor team. Goyle tried to hit Danielle Ringum, one of the Gryffindor Chasers, but thankfully Ginny hit it away just in time. To the Slytherin team's luck, one of the other Bludgers had sped back into the field, and with his massive club, Goyle knocked the Bludger at Danielle. With a hard hit from the Bludger on her shoulder, Danielle fell to the ground in pain, with her broom still in one hand and her other hand clutching her injured shoulder.   
  
"Oh no!" shouted Lee. "Gregory Goyle, one of the Slytherin Beaters, has knocked Danielle Ringum, a Gryffindor Chaser, to the ground with a Bludger!"  
  
"Rotten, cheating Slytherins!" squeaked Professor Flitwick with a shaking fist (which Harry very much agreed).  
  
"Penalty!" shouted Madame Hooche. "Ten points to Gryffindor!"   
  
Madame Pomfrey and two assistants rushed to the field at Danielle's aid. As her two assistants held up Danielle, Madame Pomfrey gave Danielle a sip of a potion and did a spell to mend Danielle's shoulder. Less than a minute after, Danielle stood up perfectly well, and after Madame Pomfrey told her to take it easy, her and her assistants whisked away.   
  
"Everyone, Danielle Ringum is okay!" announced Lee Jordan. "Danielle is back in the game."  
  
Danielle got back on her broom and flew up above the Quidditch pitch (away from the Beaters and Bludgers). By Danielle's luck and Goyle's misfortunate (which he deserved), the Bludger that had hit Danielle was now flying towards Goyle, and then-  
  
"Goyle has been hit by the same Bludger he used to hit Danielle!" stated Lee. "Will Madame Pomfrey help him? Nope, I think not! Hey, that's fine by me. Goyle's back on his broom now, however he's not too steady. Hopefully - well, maybe not 'hopefully' - he can make it through the game."  
  
After Lee Jordan had said this statement, he made a cough which sounded very much like 'loser'.   
  
"Lee Jordan, you better not be fooling around with this game," scowled Professor Snape.  
  
"I'll try not to, Professor Snape."  
  
Harry, racing as much as he could on that Stella Velocita 29, was still following the Snitch during the whole entire incident. Meanwhile, Danielle had thrown the Quaffle and had scored a goal.  
  
"Another ten points to Gryffindor! It seems like Gryffindor is in the lead with 40 points and Slytherin with 10. Wait! Now it's 50 points to Gryffindor! Go, team!"  
  
The Gryffindors in the stands were cheering very loudly at that moment, while all the Slytherins were still going on with their boos. Harry, despite the fact that he was trying to catch up to the Snitch for the longest time (even though the broom was agile, that Snitch was hard to catch), felt very proud that his team was winning, and that he had done well as coach.   
  
Donald Stickwell, sick and tired of the Gryffindors winning, stole the Quaffle from one of the Gryffindor Chasers, and with a massive throw, had scored a goal.  
  
"Donald Stickwell has scored a goal for Slytherin. Ten points to Slytherin!"  
  
Flying on his broom, Harry felt someone soaring above him, and as he looked up, he spotted Malfoy, still racing for the Golden Snitch. Malfoy nodded his head upwards, his eyes watching Crabbe. Harry couldn't tell what the peculiar gesture meant, but sure figured it out when he looked up to see Crabbe way up high and was ready to hit a Bludger at Harry.   
  
"Vincent Crabbe is going to hit a Bludger at Harry!" shouted Lee Jordan, as gasps from the crowd mumbling around the pitch.  
  
Harry flew away as the Snitch soared in another direction. Harry followed the Snitch where he was leveled with the spectators in the stands, right in front of the staff stands. Crabbe, with a massive whack of his club, hit the Bludger hard that was heading towards Harry. Harry quickly dodged the Bludger to his own safety. But instead of hitting him, the Bludger hit someone in the staff's stands. Everyone, including the players, looked to see who was hit.  
  
"My goodness!" shouted Lee Jordan, who was very close to being hit. "The Bludger has hit Princess Glory very badly. Ow! That must really, really hurt! Uh oh, she doesn't look too happy."  
  
Princess Glory throbbed with pain as she held a hand on top of the large, red lump on her forehead, but it wasn't tears or whimpers that she expressed. She was raging mad, grinding her teeth, clenching her fist and her face turning red in hot anger.   
  
No one could really believe what they had just seen. Watching Glory in throbbing pain, all spectators felt incredibly sorry for the Princess. Malfoy was in complete shock, his jaw almost reaching his broom. Harry had remembered hearing that Glory had been hit by Bludgers during Quidditch, but now felt very sorry for her, now that he'd seen it. Though he felt sorry for her, he was almost somewhat scared, considering the literally "murderous" glare Glory had. Joy, who was looking at Glory sympathetically and felt deeply sorry for her sister, and the rest of the Quidditch players (Gryffindors and Slytherins) and all spectators, looked angrily at Crabbe.   
  
Crabbe, who seemed very frightened at the moment, flew close to Princess Glory, probably to excuse himself.  
  
"Uh...Your Royal Highness?" asked Crabbe in his low, stupid voice. "Are you...like...okay?"   
  
Princess Glory looked up, even angrier than ever, and pulled him towards her by his chubby neck.  
  
"DO I LOOK OKAY???" she screamed at the top of her lungs.  
  
"Uh...."  
  
"I SAID, DO I LOOK OKAY?!?!?!?"  
  
"Uh....no?"  
  
"EXACTLY, BECAUSE I AM NOT OKAY! YOU, WERE SUPPOSED TO LOOK AFTER THE BLUDGER! YOU, WERE SUPPOSED TO DEFEND THE PLAYERS! BUT, NO! YOU DECIDE TO PLAY 'HIT THE BLUDGER AT HARRY' AND INSTEAD HIT ME!!!!!"  
  
"I'm like really, really sorry, Princess!"  
  
"WELL SOMETIMES SORRY ISN'T ENOUGH!!!!"  
  
Glory, with her clenched fist, gave Crabbe the hardest punch downwards that Harry had ever seen. Crabbe fell rapidly to the ground, where it seemed as if he was crying.  
  
"That hurt!" he sobbed.  
  
Glory apparated with a magnificent swirling flame to the pitch to where he had landed. Crabbe screamed at the sight of her, as she started pulverizing him badly, and even swearing too! The whole entire crowd was in shock. A group of professors came to the rescue and had to pull her off Crabbe, who was screaming and crying like a baby with a bloody nose, bruises and broken jaw. They both had to be brought to the Hospital Wing, with Crabbe carried on a stretcher.   
  
Harry never knew, whatsoever, not in a million years, that Glory could explode the way she did (and that incident didn't even compare to the catfight Joy and her had at their birthday ball). Joy's cheeks became rosy with embarrassment, and she tried to avoid center-field throughout the game.   
  
Even if the Slytherin team had only one Beater, the game had to go on. Harry, trying to forget the scene he'd seen and go on with the game, turned his head around, down and up, and he spotted the Golden Snitch hovering above his head. In a quick grab, he caught the ball and held it tight. He could feel the patter of the wings on his Quidditch glove, with the warm refreshing feeling in his breath from triumph and the bitter ice of worry quickly melting off his shoulders.  
  
"Harry Potter has caught the Snitch!" announced Lee. "Gryffindor 200 points, Slytherin 20. Gryffindor wins!"  
  
All the Gryffindors cheered away as Harry was glorified. He felt so incredibly proud that his first time as Quidditch captain was a complete success. His team had won!!   
  
Once all the Quidditch players had changed and everything was put away (with a round of cheers and 'hip-hip-hurrays' for Harry), Harry (still blushing with happiness) hurried to the Hospital Wing to go see Glory. Entering the Infirmary, he spotted Glory in a hospital bed, surrounded by Ron, Hermione, Joy and her little group (Ron and Joy had arrived from the changing rooms before Harry did). Glory was holding a large ice pack on the lump on her head, while her face was still red with anger. Harry rushed over to the bedside and said a quick greeting to everyone. Harry enquired to Glory about the incident at the game, looking at the horridly mad expression on her face.   
  
"What happened during the game?" asked Harry to Glory as he stood around the hospital bed. "I've never seen you so angry."  
  
"Long story," she answered through gritted teeth, trying to calm down. "If only that Slytherin Beater wouldn't have been fooling around!"  
  
"I didn't mean to hit you, Princess Glory!" wailed Crabbe as he lay in bed with slings, bandages and casts all over him, and with Madame Pomfrey taking care of him.  
  
"But you meant to hit Harry, didn't you?"  
  
"How did you get so angry?" asked Harry curiously.  
  
"I think it's time they knew," said Joy to Glory.   
  
"Vicky, Ruth, Lucy and Tiffany already know," responded Glory. "The three of them should know as well."  
  
Joy, still rosy-cheeked with embarrassment, turned to Hermione, Harry and Ron.  
  
"You see, guys," started Joy, "Glory has a very short-temper. It runs in the family, on the Dumbledore side, although Glory is the most short-tempered. I'm not so hot-headed, because I take after my mother's side of the family who are quite calm. Nono Albus, who is the best at controlling the anger, invented a pill that stops rages like these to occur during the day. The reason why Glory felt that she was forgetting something was because she forgot to take the pill."  
  
"Exactly!" said Glory.  
  
"Wow.....I never knew that," said Hermione.  
  
"You all didn't," admitted Joy. "We should have told you sooner."  
  
"And here's the pill you forgot to take this morning," said Madame Pomfrey, handing her a glass of water and a small, green and yellow-striped pill. Glory, with her free hand, swallowed the pill, gulped down the water and laid back to rest. "Now make sure you take those pills every single day," reminded Madame Pomfrey. "We don't want any more accidents occurring, like this one..."  
  
The nurse looked again at Crabbe, who was in absolute discomfort and pain.  
  
"Is everything all right?" called out Malfoy as he entered the Infirmary.   
  
"Everything is all right now," answered Madame Pomfrey. "Princess Glory has already taken her pill, and Mr. Crabbe over there is being taken care of."  
  
"So that's what you were worrying about today?" asked Malfoy.  
  
"You mean, you know about it?" questioned Ron.  
  
"Of course I do! I think I should know things like this about my girlfriend!"   
  
Harry, Hermione, Ron and Joy were all scowling at Malfoy. They knew he was the one who told his team to hit the Bludgers and Quaffle.  
  
"What was with you telling your teammates to hit the Quidditch balls at our team, Malfoy?" questioned Joy.  
  
"What?" asked Glory.  
  
"You heard me. He was the one who told his team to knock the balls at us!"  
  
"Is this true?" questioned Glory to Malfoy.  
  
"Of course it isn't, sweetheart," denied Malfoy. "I would never do anything that you wouldn't like."  
  
"Let's see," said Glory, who turned to Crabbe. "Crabbe, did Malfoy tell the Slytherin team to throw the balls at your opponents?"  
  
"Sure he did!" responded Crabbe. "That was our main strategy!"  
  
"Crabbe, why'd you have to go and tell them?" scolded Malfoy.  
  
"I don't know," sighed Crabbe. "I'm not as smart as you."  
  
"You're not as smart as anyone, Crabbe!" commented Glory.  
  
"Hey!" said Joy. "You're supposed to be cooling down, remember?"  
  
"Well it takes the pill a while to have effect. Even so, I cannot believe you!" shouted Glory to Malfoy. "How dare you go and create a strategy like that? I'm sure the professors will here about this, including the headmaster!"  
  
"But we had to win this season!" said Malfoy in excuses.  
  
"No buts! I'm sick and tired of you making these disgusting and ruthless plans! If you really want to be my boyfriend, then smarten up!"  
  
"Fine," said Malfoy reluctantly. "I'll try and behave better."  
  
"Good!"  
  
"May we come in?" asked Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagoll, who were standing patiently at the door.  
  
"Why of course!" said Madame Pomfrey. "Come in, come in."  
  
Dumbledore and McGonagoll walked into the room and hurried to Glory's side. As both stood beside Glory's bedside, McGonagoll scowled at Malfoy and Crabbe and turned to Glory.  
  
"Is everything all right?" asked McGonagoll to Glory.  
  
"Everything's fine now," said Glory. "I took my pill. I forgot to take it this morning."  
  
"You better keep track of when you take them," reminded Professor McGonagoll. "Hopefully, we won't let this happen again."   
  
"And if you do become angry, please try and remain calm," suggested Professor Dumbledore gently. "I'm just hoping parents don't complain about the incident. A good trick that often makes me calm is to keep a pouch of sherbet lemon handy. If I feel a bit angry, I take one. The sweetness soothes the mind and takes away the anger."  
  
"I'm not too sure about sherbet lemon," said Glory. "I prefer mini-syrup-centered chocolate maple leafs. I quite like those."  
  
Professor McGonagoll nodded in agreement to this suggestion, and then turned to Malfoy with a distasteful mood on her face.  
  
"As for you, Draco Malfoy, I'm absolutely ashamed of you! How dare you tell your new team to act out an awful strategy like that? And don't bother giving me excuses. I heard everything all of you said when standing at the doors. Because of your despicable behaviour, you will have a month's detention."  
  
"Fine," said Malfoy.  
  
"I'm not finished, Mr. Malfoy. 30 points will be taken from Slytherin House and the Slytherin Quidditch team will be disqualified from the Hogwarts Quidditch games."  
  
"What? That can't be! That's not fair!"  
  
"It's not fair of you to act like such a scoundrel!" stated McGonagoll. "Now off you go to your common room, and that goes for the rest of you too."  
  
As all of them were dismissed, Malfoy looked at all of them with his lip curled up.  
  
"I hate Quidditch," he mumbled to himself.  
  
"And so do I!" agreed Glory, putting the ice patch back on her pump.  
  
*****  
  
The next day, all the students were talking about the Quidditch game. Everyone in Gryffindor, and even students from other houses, congratulated Harry on his excellent work of leading his team to victory. Of course, it wasn't just the Gryffindors who had certain overwhelmed reactions to the previous day's Quidditch match. The Slytherins were shocked at the Quidditch team's loss, and their loss of points too. They however, could not be angrier at the fact that they had no chance of winning the Quidditch Cup that year, and were disgusted with the whole Slytherin team, especially Malfoy.  
  
Even so, no doubt the most talk was about the temper tantrum Glory had. No classroom was silent because of the gossip of the incident. Joy was very disappointed that the school would fond over such a thing, and Glory was said to be quite furious (even though Harry knew she had to stay calm).   
  
No matter how Glory had raged or beaten up Crabbe (who was still in the Hospital Wing), how Gryffindor won or how Slytherin played the game, it could not match up to the most surprising, shocking and horrifying event that happened the day after the game. Harry, Ron and Hermione were walking to Divinations from Charms (Joy took another way to Divinations with Lavender and Parvati, and even though Hermione was walking with them, she would soon separate with them to go to her History of Magic class). Hermione was working on a crossword puzzle that Professor Flitwick had given her, because she had finished her work earlier than the rest of the class.  
  
"I've done all of them except one," stated Hermione, looking at the crossword held in her hand. "I think I know this one, but it's in the corner of my mind. Please tell me, any of you, what is the name of the casket, also known as a tomb, which ancient Egyptian mummies were put in and were then cursed by Egyptian wizards? I know there's a specific name for it, but what is it?"  
  
"We've already told you that we don't know!" said Ron. "Probably Joy will know."  
  
"I wish I knew what it was," sighed Hermione.  
  
"It's sarcophagus, dear."  
  
A mysterious voice was heard behind them, and all four of them looked around them to see from who, and where, this mysterious voice came from. There was no one there in the hallway, except for them at that moment despite the moving of classes, some torches and a statue of Glory in armour from her battle that summer which was put up at their birthdays.  
  
"Who said that?" asked Harry.  
  
"I of course!" said the statue of Glory shockingly, as the stone lips moved to form a gentle smile.  
  
"Oh," said Hermione, who had never seen a talking or moving statue before. "W-what was it you said again?"   
  
"It's sarcophagus. See," said the statue as it pointed its stone sword to the empty squares, "it fits perfectly. S-A-R-C-O-P-H-A-G-U-S."  
  
"Of course!" exclaimed Hermione. "I knew I already knew it. Thank you so much."  
  
"It was my pleasure, Hermione."  
  
As not to confuse the reader, this wasn't the surprising incident that took the school by storm. How it could, I would not know, nor would I think anyone would think that as so breathtaking. It was what happened in the next class they (and by 'they', meaning those attending Divinations and that wouldn't include Hermione, though I think she would have found it interesting to be in that class for that day) - To continue, it was what happened in the next class they were going to, Divinations, where the surprising event would take place.  
  
Just a few corridors downward, they arrived at the stairs to the Divinations classroom, where Hermione split with them to go to History of Magic. Both Ron and Harry went up the spiraling tower to the steamy café-like room, where Professor Hib-Gimmons, the balding substitute teacher with giant spectacles, was looking confusingly at a Divinations book. Both boys took a seat next to Joy, who had already saved a table for them near the windows.   
  
The class started at the sound of the bell. Professor Hib-Gimmons, while taking confusing glances at the Divinations book, was teaching the class about what to do when someone have a serious prediction. Just by picturing the substitute teacher as he glared at the Divinations book (unfortunately, Professor Trelawney left him no instructions, and just told him to speak on behalf of his 'Inner Eye'), anyone could tell he was confused and out-of-place, and he probably didn't understand it even more than the students (though most of the students thought that Professor Trelawney never knew what she was talking about either).   
  
Unfortunately, Glory wasn't there to explain everything clearly to the class. They were told that she was having a high fever in the morning, and wasn't well enough to go to classes that day. Not even Joy, though how brilliant she was, could explain clearly to the class what he was saying, for she couldn't understand what he was talking about in the first place.  
  
In the middle of the confusing and boring class, a phenomenal warm and unfamiliar breeze filled the room, which was very much unlike the steam in the room and November temperature. No one could tell what this breeze was, or where it was coming from for that matter. At the discomfort of the perplexing heat, everyone was pulling their collars, rolling up their sleeves and untightening their robes.   
  
"Is it hot in here or what?" complained Dean Thomas.  
  
"Can't you put on a fan or something?" suggested Neville.  
  
"Everyone calm down and use your Innered Eyes to picture a cold and breezy place," implied the puzzled Mr. Hib-Gimmons.  
  
"Isn't it 'Inner Eye'?" asked Parvati.  
  
"Yes, I suppose so."  
  
"Man, who made that reek!?!" complained Seamus Finnigan.  
  
"I will not tolerate these rude complains in this classroom!"   
  
Harry, who was also quite uncomfortable by the heat, looked around to find some source of coolness. Being that he was at a table close to the windows, he looked out the nearest window, and saw some gray clouds around the grounds.  
  
"What's that?" asked many of the students, who were watching Harry stare out the window in horror.  
  
"Everybody, look at the Quidditch field!" shouted Ron as he stood next to Harry.  
  
Everyone rushed to the windows to see what was the matter. Harry, his chest full of the heat of an overwhelming confusion and horror, stared blankly at the Quidditch field, with flames and smoke everywhere and was ablaze with furious heat. The Quidditch pitch was on fire, it's hoops burnt, grass black and stands aflame.  
  
Author's Note: Dundundun........ Hope you liked it. Next chapter is called "Strange Figures". Basically, it becomes Christmas, and when the gang is trying out Ron's new present, they end up hearing a very important conversation by 'strange figures'. It's super cool! (i hope!). PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!! It's 2004!!!!!! 


	11. Strange Figures

Harry Potter   
  
and the Princesses for Magic  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, and I don't own anything I said in the previous disclaimers. And if there's anything else in this chapter or any of the other chapters that belong to someone else, I don't own it.  
  
Author's Note: Hey, people! Here's my 11th chapter of this story (by the way, there are 25 chapters). In the last chapter, there was a Quidditch game where the Slytherins played dirty and Glory showed her temper. Oh, and don't forget that the Quidditch pitch burnt up! In this chapter, Christmas comes to Hogwarts, and while trying out Ron's new Christmas present, they end up in some trouble and overhear an important conversation. DUNDUNDAA!!! PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 11  
  
Strange Figures  
  
Terror was in everyone after hearing that the Quidditch pitch, the place and pastime that was one of the most enjoyable things to the students of Hogwarts (excluding Glory and Malfoy), was burnt to a crisp. There would be no Quidditch games for at least three long months. Rumours and talk about the flaming field spread even quicker than the flames themselves. No one knew who it could be, but Harry and his friends only had one suspect: Draco Malfoy.   
  
Malfoy's team had been disqualified from the Quidditch games, he had gotten detention and Slytherin lost 10 points because of his last Quidditch game. Wasn't it obvious that the one who would destroy a Quidditch pitch would be the one whose Quidditch year was ruined because of it? Adding to that, Malfoy did mumble with a curled lip and angry look in the Infirmary, "I hate Quidditch". How couldn't he be a suspect?  
  
One day, after the incident of the Quidditch pitch, Harry and his friends were in the Great Hall for lunch, when Glory and Malfoy approached Harry and his friends at the Gryffindor table. All of them recognized the two of them standing behind them, and reluctantly, they laid down their utensils, stopped eating and faced both students, noticing that it looked like they wanted to say something important to them.   
  
"Malfoy has something to say to you all," announced Glory, as she then nudged Malfoy.  
  
"I am so sorry for my ridiculing and ruthlessness," he apologized sorrowfully. "Harry, I am so sorry I made that plot for the Slytherin team to bombard the Gryffindor players with Quidditch balls and I apologize for all the times I said bad things about your fame and your past. Hermione, I apologize for calling you filthy names for muggle-borns. Ron, I apologize for making fun of your family and your lack of money. Ginny," he said, as he looked to her, and recognizing her name, she looked suspiciously at Malfoy, "I'm sorry for getting so angry at you. And Princess Joy, I'm sorry for being so rude to you and I'm sorry for anything else I've caused that wasn't so nice."  
  
Everyone who had heard, known or seen Malfoy and had heard what he had said stood in silence and awe. What was up with Malfoy? Harry thought. Draco Malfoy, or any other Malfoy could never apologize. Man, Glory must be teaching something good to him.  
  
"We forgive you," said Joy finally.  
  
"Now that that's settled," said Glory, "I'm going to eat my lunch. I'm starving!"  
  
Glory turned around to go back to the Ravenclaw table, with Malfoy who was returning back to the Slytherin table. Just when Malfoy was about to leave, Harry stood up caught him by his sleeves.   
  
"What?" questioned Malfoy, tugging away from Harry.  
  
"How come you're suddenly apologizing to everyone?" asked Harry.  
  
"Glory had a talk with me," confessed Malfoy, "and she made me realize how awful I've been. I hope I won't be so awful in the future."  
  
"Wow, I guess you have changed," chuckled Harry, dumbfounded. "But why'd you give in? Aren't Slytherins, or even Malfoys, supposed to be like that?"  
  
"They're not always so evil, just a bit hard-headed and obnoxious," stated Malfoy. "I'm still a bit like that, but I'm just...trying not to be so cruel."  
  
"But, what made you give in?" enquired Harry.  
  
"Hey, if you can't beat them, join them!" said Malfoy.  
  
After saying this, Malfoy walked away, and just when he was almost gone, Ron's eyes lit up.  
  
"I've got it!" shouted Ron.  
  
"You've got what?" questioned Hermione.   
  
"'If you can't beat them, join them!' Maybe that's why You-Know-Who's followers don't seem to be after the monarchy. They want to join forces with them!"  
  
"They could never join forces with us!" chuckled Joy. "We would never let them."  
  
"You might not let them," said Ron, "but Glory might."  
  
"Of course!" said Hermione. "Malfoy's dating Glory! He's probably dating her to gain forces with the monarchy!"  
  
"Oh no!" whimpered Joy. "My sister's in this terrible plot! But if he says he's become nice, how can he still be evil?"  
  
"It's either his father is doing most of it and Malfoy's following along, or Malfoy's following Glory's orders and trying to gain her trust," suggested Ron. "If only Glory knew..."   
  
"Hey, I've got a better idea," said Harry sarcastically. "Maybe Malfoy's just such a weakling that he can't stand up to his girlfriend?"  
  
All three of Harry's friends thought about that idea, and after taking quick glances at each other, concluded their ideas.  
  
"Yeah, you're right," said all three of them in unison to Harry.  
  
*****  
  
Christmas was coming quicker than expected to Hogwarts. Everyone was in the Christmas rush, with presents, stocking, Christmas cookies, etc. Harry had finished all his list of presents, and managed to get them either at Hogsmeade or through Remus. The students were buying wonderful presents for the Princesses again, but they weren't as extravagant, considering that they were all broke from the last occasion.   
  
During one of the days free of classes before the Christmas holidays, Harry and his friends were spending some time in the Great Hall. Harry and Ron were at a game of Wizard Chess, while Joy and Hermione were discussing about their choice of gowns and accessories for Christmas. Glory, in a nice blue robe with books in her hands, and her friends, were approaching them.  
  
"Well how's the Gryffindor foursome during the Christmas holidays?" asked Glory.  
  
"Very well, thank you," said Hermione, "and so are the rest. And you?"  
  
"We're all right."  
  
"Hey, Sis!" greeted Joy with a big smile. "You look lovely. So, have you decided on an idea of what you will be wearing for the bet?"  
  
"A bet? What bet?" asked Ron.  
  
"Joy and I have made a bet to switch fashion styles on Christmas Eve," stated Glory. "I've already chosen what I'll wear. I'll feel very uncovered though."  
  
"I'm not that uncovered!" said Joy. "Anyway, I've picked what I'm wearing too. I'm wearing something with a 17th century French style. Is that okay?"  
  
"It's not exactly my style, but it's the same idea."  
  
"Too bad we won't be able to see what you both look like," said Harry. "You'll probably be off to your palace on Christmas."  
  
"Actually, there might be a possibility that we might be staying here," said Glory.  
  
"Really? Why?"  
  
"Our father's very busy since most of the other Ministers for Magic are still not 100% well, and he has to do a lot of work. It might be better if we stay here and let him work."  
  
"Oh, that's too bad," said Hermione.  
  
"We'll be getting a letter soon from him though," told Joy. "Hopefully, it'll come before Professor Flitwick asks us who's staying over the holidays."  
  
Both the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw friends continued their conversations, and later sat down with each other and continued talking. While they were speaking to each other, bowls of candies and Christmas sweets appeared on the tables before them.   
  
"Enjoy the food!" called out Professor Dumbledore to all of them.  
  
"All right!" exclaimed Ron. "Let's dig in."  
  
Everyone took a cookie or two (Ron took 4 cookies). Glory grabbed a cookie from the bowl, and after swallowing a bite out of the cookie, she turned to Joy.  
  
"Do you remember when we used to go to Sweetsland at Nero Gatto," asked Glory, "before Christmas when they had that Christmas sale?"  
  
"Oh yeah!" remembered Joy. "I used to be so excited for that! I remember we used to go to Sweetsland every week-end."  
  
"What are you both chatting about?" asked Harry.  
  
"We were just talking about the times when we went to Sweetsland at our old school."  
  
"You mean you had a Sweetsland at your school?" gasped Ron. "That must have been bloody awesome."  
  
"It was," said Glory.   
  
The letter Joy and Glory had been waiting for came a few days later, as a swoop of owls dropped parcels and letters over the students one morning afterwards. With the owls came Joy's hippogryph and Glory's hippigryph, who flew in royally and landed near each Princess. The hippogryph, with a pouch of parcels, stopped beside Joy near the Gryffindor table. With a glad smile, she took out the letters and boxes in the pouch, and massaged the hippogryph's head.  
  
"Thank you, Buttercup!"  
  
Buttercup nodded, with a little sound of affection from Joy's petting, and flew away. Joy opened one of the many letters before her, the letter which was from her parents. Once opened, she unfolded it and read the letter quickly.  
  
"Oh dear!" said Joy. "We won't be able to go home for Christmas. That's just too bad... Are you all staying too?"  
  
"I am," said Ron.   
  
"Me too," said Hermione. "I decided to stay this year."  
  
"And you, Harry?"  
  
"I usually don't, but it might be different because the Dursleys don't think of me as a terrible monster anymore, or at least they're trying not to act like it. I have to wait until Hedwig comes."  
  
"And there she is now!" pointed out Joy.  
  
Hedwig flew into the Great Hall with the flock of owls and landed near Harry. Harry took off the newspaper of The Daily Prophet, a letter and a box attached to Hedwig's claws. He first opened the letter (a Muggle letter) and read it silently:  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
We hope you enjoy your Christmas holidays and have a good time at Hogwarts. We'll be visiting Aunt Marge for the whole time, so unfortunately you won't be able to come. We hope you like your present.  
  
The Dursleys   
  
"So?" asked Joy.  
  
"I'm staying," said Harry, as he closed the letter. "The Dursleys are visiting Aunt Marge, and they know how we don't get along. What's in those boxes of yours?"  
  
"It's my present and a box of cookies," stated Joy. "I see Glory has got some, oh no, and she's mad. Uh oh!"  
  
All of them turned to look at her sister at the Ravenclaw table. As they watched, Glory crumpled up the letter to her parents and set it on fire in her hand. She threw the ashes away and hurried to Joy. With a very irritated look, she crossed her arms and looked at Joy.   
  
"Do you know what Father and Mother wrote?" questioned Glory angrily.  
  
"Glory, calm down," encouraged Joy.  
  
"I'm trying to! It's just that they said that they didn't want me dating Draco. How could they say that? They don't even know him. He's really nice inside, he just has to feel so superior and become like his father. He's becoming a lot nicer!"  
  
"I know Draco seems nicer, but you can't blame them. Almost everyone thinks the Malfoys are cruel, and it seems obvious they would."  
  
"If only you all knew!" said Glory. "It's okay though. Draco will be staying for the holidays like us.   
  
"Shoot, I have to go," said Glory as she realized she may have been there for too long. "I have a duel with Professor Flitwick. By the way, Harry, is there any other time we can duel?"  
  
"Maybe during the starting of the new year," suggested Harry, as he thought he would be regretting to have another duel with Glory.   
  
"I'll keep that in mind. I'll see you all later!"  
  
She immediately left the Great Hall, with her parcels and boxes in hand.   
  
"Guys, I think you should see this!" said Hermione, reading the front page of The Daily Prophet.   
  
"What is it, Hermione?" asked Joy.  
  
"Look at what's on the front page on The Daily Prophet! I'll read it:  
  
"Just when the Magical World thought that it would have enough of the strange attacks after the Death Eater incident at Princesses Glory and Joy's birthday ball at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the injuries of almost all Ministers for Magic and the burning down of the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, a disappearance has occurred.   
  
"Chico Belroni, a very powerful and wealthy business man in Chile, had disappeared two days ago. No witnesses have reported a kidnapper being spotted or an arrest, and neither has there been any evidence. Mr. Belroni owned many stalk markets in the industries of wands, powerful charms, wizard utilities, etc. He was also the owner of a very powerful gem, the Luxark Diamond, which has the ability to turn any animal into a powerful, mythical creature, which has recently vanished as well.  
  
  
  
"It reminds you just a bit of the Philosopher's Stone, doesn't it?" implied Hermione, and then continued on reading:  
  
  
  
"Hopefully, this will be the last tragic thing in the Wizarding World, and that they will be able to find Mr. Belroni, the kidnapper and the Luxark Diamond."  
  
  
  
Harry and his friends stood in awe as Hermione laid down the newspaper.  
  
"Should we do anything?" asked Ron to the rest of them.   
  
"I say we research on it," suggested Hermione. "We could read about the Luxark Diamond and its owner, maybe even more."  
  
"Sure, let's head to the library!" said Joy.  
  
"I can't go," stated Harry.  
  
"Why not?" asked Ron, as he was standing up from the bench.  
  
"I'm going to meet up with Cho," answered Harry, "and we're going to hang out."  
  
"You already had a date with her yesterday!" said Ron.  
  
"So? She's still my girlfriend."  
  
"Fine, go ahead. We won't be at the library for long."  
  
Ron, Hermione and Joy stood up and skidded off to the library, as Harry went to the Gryffindor common room to get ready to meet Cho. At the entrance, was the Pink Lady (sometimes known as Dumbledore's Wife) having tea with the portrait figures of Joy and Glory from the painting in the Great Hall. The figure of Glory was laying her swollen feet into a small tub of water, with her hair straight and wet as if she had just washed it.  
  
"Hello, Harry!" greeted the Pink Lady. "What brings you to the common room on a frost-covered day like this?"  
  
"I'm going to get ready for a date with Cho," answered Harry. "We decided to hang out together."  
  
"Again?" asked Glory. "Haven't you been on a date with her all week?"  
  
Harry blushed at the moment, knowing that the figure of Glory was right.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with that!" said Joy. "They're in love, and I think it's sweet. Besides, I think Ron and I have to go on a date soon."  
  
"You went a week ago!" commented Glory.  
  
"That's not a lot. Even so, we should go out."  
  
"Are you all right, Glory?" asked Harry. "How come your hair is wet and your feet are in a tub 'o' water?"  
  
"My heels were killing me and the hairspray was giving me headaches," whined Glory, though Harry didn't know how someone in a painting can have headaches. "It's murder!"  
  
"You're crazy!" commented Joy. "You can't stand anything that involves being pretty! By the way, have you put on your make-up lately?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Really? Have you?"  
  
"Just a bit, at least."  
  
"You should put more. Have you even tried the lipstick?"  
  
"I like the brown and dark shades."  
  
"That's ridiculous! You need some red! Here, I have a lipstick," said Joy, as she took out a red lipstick from her pocket (though Harry didn't know how she got hold of one). "Put it on!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Put it on!" demanded Joy, as she was trying to smudge some red lipstick onto her sister. The Pink Lady, very frustrated with their behaviour, tried to split up the fight.  
  
"Calm down, girls! There's no reason to be fighting over lipstick!"  
  
"Oh, I forgot about the password," remembered Harry. "It's 'dragonus firinus'."  
  
"You may enter," said the Pink Lady.  
  
The entrance opened and Harry went into the common room. Gryffindors were exchanging Christmas presents and cards, younger ones tried to figure out what they received and others ate their Christmas baked goods. Harry rushed upstairs to his dorm where Seamus Finnigan was reading a book on the biography of Princess Glory, lying on his four-poster bed.  
  
"You're just mad about her, aren't you, Seamus?" commented Harry.  
  
"I can't stop thinking about her," sighed Seamus. "Her sister's nice and all, but Glory has that....charm....."  
  
"She's taken, you know."  
  
"Unfortunately, by that awful...Malfoy. I hate him!"  
  
"You should try and get over her," suggested Harry, walking to his four-poster bed.  
  
"I can't!"  
  
"But you must."  
  
"Would you get over Cho if she was taken away from you?" asked Seamus, following a long pause.  
  
Harry stood there and thought out that question. Would he be able to get over it if something happened between him and Cho? Would he forget it or just mope about it and never move on, like she had for Cedric? He thought he had gotten over her before, but then the feelings all came back, and now that they were deeper in there relationship, it would be harder for him to forget about her.   
  
"I don't know," replied Harry. "I guess I'd have to find out if it ever happens. I can't say now."  
  
"Something is probably going to happen, Harry," said Seamus. "Cho and you will be separated next year. She will have graduated Hogwarts and you'll still be here, and what if you both find other people?"  
  
"I don't want to think about that now," said Harry in an irritated voice. "I'm going out with Cho tonight."  
  
"Again?"   
  
"You have a problem with that?" questioned Harry angrily.  
  
Seamus shook his head, turned away and hushed up. Harry turned to the mirror as he fixed himself up for his date.   
  
It was moments later after Harry was finally ready that he met Cho near the end of the Grand Staircase. It was a very simple date; they explored the grounds and the hallways together while sharing a conversation.   
  
At 8 o'clock, Cho and Harry went back to their common rooms. Harry went to his dormitory smiling, remembering Cho's beautiful face, as Ron, Hermione and the other prefects patrolled the hallways. Seamus glared at him and looked away, still reading his book on Princess Glory.  
  
*****  
  
It was finally Christmas Eve, the day before the most wonderful and happy celebration of Christmas Day. Everyone was in the merry spirit of the holidays. Harry went down to the common room and joined Hermione and Ron as they walked to the Great Hall. Remembering about the bet that Joy and Glory made, they were quite excited to see the outfits they would be wearing.   
  
They entered the grand feasting hall, where only a few students were sitting down and eating breakfast, sharing with each other the holiday glee. As they approached the Gryffindor table, they saw Joy sitting down, but she looked very different. A part of her hair had been styled into a small bun with the rest of her blonde hair cascading down her shoulder, and a lily-like pin had been put into her bun. She wore a blue18th century-inspired dress robe, which looked a bit like the ones Marie Antoinette wore (but is wasn't as showing or as puffed up). However her style had changed, the most shocking part of Joy's look was that she was as blue as her robes, with veins popping up on her forehead. In worry, the trio quickly rushed to her to see what was the matter.  
  
"What's wrong?" questioned Ron worriedly, seating himself beside her.  
  
"Can't......breath...," gasped Joy in her tight robe. "Corset....suffocating.....me....."  
  
"What do we do?" asked Harry, not knowing how to get her out of a tight corset. He looked at Ron who shrugged with no answer.  
  
"I don't know what to do," said Hermione. "I don't know how to work a corset."  
  
"Someone...help......me......"  
  
Harry looked around the room to find someone who could help them, and so doing this, he glanced at a tall figure, an unrecognizable figure. The young lady had a crimson mini-dress robe, with its widening sleeves having splits on both sides of each arm and a low neck-line. She wore matching high-heels, and her hair was full of curls and was pinned up with a diamond clip. A jewelled charm bracelet shimmered on her right wrist, and hanging from her neck was the same giant jewelled cross necklace she always wore.  
  
"Glory?" chocked Hermione. "Is that you?"  
  
"Of course it is!" said Glory, walking towards them (just slightly unsteadily with the high-heels on). "I know, it's a bit different from my style - Oh dear! Joy, what's the matter?"  
  
"Corset.....choking...."  
  
Glory rolled her eyes, went in the back of Joy's dress, unbuttoned the back of her dress robe and broke open the extremely tight corset. As the corset had been loosened, Joy gasped for air. Her face had turned from blue to red, as she tried to re-fill her lungs.  
  
"What were you thinking?" demanded Glory to Joy.  
  
"I put on a corset!" said Joy, gasping for more air. "I had to, that's how you wear one of these dress robes, don't you? I wanted to do it myself and I guess I put it on too tight."  
  
"You bet you did, and you shouldn't have put on a corset."  
  
"But that's how you wear one of these things, don't you?"  
  
"Muggles used to, witches don't," stated Glory. "The dress robes form a corset-like figure once the witch puts the dress on. They're like magic-air corsets that are barely felt. Besides, I don't even put on corsets, except for special occasions. Otherwise, I never where them."  
  
"And you bother to tell me this now?"  
  
"You never asked! Even so, it's a beautiful outfit. Not exactly what I where, but I like it."  
  
"And your outfit!" remarked Joy as she clasped her hands together in glee. "I've fallen in love with it. I don't even wear such beautiful outfits like that. Why don't you dress like this more often? I never knew you had such a fashion sense. I just have to show you off to everyone!"  
  
"No you won't!" declared Gory. "If someone sees us, then fine, they see us. I will NOT show myself off!"  
  
"Come on!"   
  
"NO!"  
  
"Will you stop fighting, please?!" shouted Ron.  
  
Malfoy, who had just entered the Great Hall, spotted Glory, left Crabbe and Goyle, and ran to her immediately.  
  
"Glory, hi!" greeted Malfoy. "I wanted to know if maybe you'd like to come to the Slytherin Christmas Party. You'd obviously be welcome, everyone in Slytherin loves you - What - Why - Why are you wearing - What are you wearing....Huh?"  
  
A face of confusion, happiness and shock sprang up on his face. It was obvious he liked the ensemble.   
  
"Do you like it?" asked Glory shyly.  
  
"L-like it?" stuttered Malfoy. "I love it! Why don't you dress like this more often? Oh Joy, you look lovely!"  
  
"Thank you!" blushed Joy.  
  
"So will you come?"  
  
"I'd only be able to go from 6 o'clock to 7:30," told Glory to Malfoy. "I have to go to the Ravenclaw Christmas party tonight."  
  
"That's fine! Everyone's looking forward to your arrival! Be prepared to get loads of presents."  
  
"Come on, Glory," said Joy. "We have to show you off to the staff. I must show Nono Albus!"  
  
"And Professor Snape, show her to Professor Snape," added Malfoy with a smile.  
  
"You'd better hurry up, Joy," snapped Glory. "I don't want to waste my time showing myself off."  
  
"Don't worry, I have to deliver presents anyway."  
  
"You still haven't delivered them?" questioned Glory. "I already gave out mine."  
  
The twins marched off into the direction of the staff tables. Malfoy gave a goodbye nod (it seemed a bit fake) to Harry, Hermione and Ron and went off to the Slytherin table.   
  
The whole entire day, Harry, Hermione and Ron stayed in the common room to relax and play Wizard Chess. While they were "chilling out", Joy was zooming around giving presents. During the afternoon, while Harry was answering the questions of the younger ones about his adventures at Hogwarts (which had become easier to do after the interview with The Quibbler) and Hermione and Ron were engaged in a game of Wizard Chess, Joy had dropped in exhaustion into one of the sofas in the common room.   
  
"I'm almost finished!" declared Joy as she lay down.  
  
"Almost? What other ones do you have to give?" asked Ron.  
  
"Three of them are yours. Here you go!" she said as she passed wrapped presents to them.  
  
"Any others?" asked Ron, putting his present under the tree mounted with gifts.   
  
"One for Hagrid. Can we go to Hagrid's hut?"  
  
"Now?" questioned Harry.  
  
"Of course! So what I'm tired, I can rest later. Let's go!"  
  
Ron and Hermione put their game aside and Harry said goodbye to the young ones. They all put on their coats and scarves and went outside in the snow-covered grounds of Hogwarts. They hurried to Hagrid's hut to avoid the cold as much as possible. Once they were there, Hermione knocked three times on the large door. The friendly giant opened the large door with a grin.  
  
"'arry! 'ermione! Ron! Princ'ss Joy!" said Hagrid happily. "I've ben waitin' fer a visit from y'all! I've made a tea cake, j'st out of the oven! It's one o' Madame Maxime's recipes. C'm on in! C'm in!"  
  
Hagrid led them in and they all entered the small and cozy hut to seat themselves next to the flickering fire. Hagrid had decorated his hut with simple Christmas decorations and had a small Christmas tree in the corner which had some presents laid under them (they were from his father, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Princess Glory and Dumbledore). Fang, his cowardly blood-hound dog, was laying down in a corner of the hut. Hagrid passed around cups of tea and a slice of thick tea cake to each of them.   
  
"Joy, yev dressed kinda like yer sister," remarked Hagrid. "Ye look wond'rful!"  
  
"We decided to changed fashion styles for today," said Joy.  
  
"That mean I got ter see Glory! She must look surprisin'."   
  
"How's Madame Maxime?" asked Hermione.  
  
"She's fine," said Hagrid, "but 'er school, Beauxbatons that the one, is all scared o' them attacks. I don't blame 'em!"  
  
"By the way, here's my present to you."  
  
Joy pulled out the giant wrapped box she was holding and handed it to Hagrid. Hagrid's face lit up with joy as he held the present in his large hands.  
  
"Thank ye, Joy! Yer sister dropped 'er's off a week ago."  
  
"What was it?"   
  
"Don't know. 'Aven't opened it yet."  
  
"Why didn't you open it?"  
  
"I 'ave to wait 'til Christmas!"  
  
"Not with our presents. You open your present from me today. I won't be here to see your face when you see the present."  
  
"All right!"  
  
Hagrid unfolded the wrapping paper of the gift in his hands, being careful not to rip it.  
  
"I like to save de wrappin'!" he said.  
  
Once he laid down the wrapping, he opened the gigantic box. Inside, there was a large, stylish black robe/coat. As he looked carefully at the gift, Hagrid started to cry.  
  
"Thank ye, Joy! I always wanted one! All I 'ave is that crummy hair bush of a coat!"  
  
"He finally sees how ugly it is," whispered Ron to Harry.  
  
"Try it on!" suggested Joy.  
  
Hagrid took out the coat in the box and put it on. It fit him perfectly.  
  
"This is wond'rful!" said Hagrid. "How'd ye know me sizes?"  
  
"It's a knack I have."  
  
"Thank ye so much! How c'n I ever repay ye?"  
  
"Don't worry, Hagrid! It was my pleasure!   
  
Hagrid took off the coat, put it back in its box and slid the gift with its wrapping under the tree.  
  
"So, what's new with y'all four?"  
  
"We're working on who's behind the attacks, Hagrid," said Harry. "We're going to find the culprit sooner or later."  
  
"Oh no! No! Please don't get in dis business! Yer always snoopin' for an answer once you found somethin' suspicious. Quit it! An' Joy, please don't tell me yer involved?"  
  
"I really want to crack this case, Hagrid!" said Joy. "We have to!"  
  
"We think it's Malfoy," implied Harry.  
  
"Yer always after that boy. I don't like him meself, but even so, y'all should mind yer own business!"  
  
"Oh, Hagrid, the fate of the world might depend on this!" complained Joy.  
  
"Then that's the world's business!" said Hagrid, as Fang ate Hagrid's cake as he wasn't looking.  
  
"We have to go now," said Joy. "It's getting late."  
  
"All right. Bye now, and don't get yerselves in trouble!"  
  
"We'll try not to, Hagrid," said Harry as everyone exited the hut.  
  
"Yeah, we'll try not to get caught," murmured Ron.  
  
They got out of the hut and hurried out of the grounds to the common room just before dinner. Afterwards, they went to the Great Hall to eat their scrumptious meal. When they were done eating, they went back to the common room.  
  
Ron, Hermione and Joy sat in the common room and enjoyed a quiet evening by the fire, while Harry went up to his dorm and read a bit of the dueling manual Glory had given him. As he was in the middle of reading one of the chapters, he heard giant feathers flapping against the wind. He looked out his window to see a giant phoenix soaring through the air, carrying a pouch. Harry knew Dumbledore had a phoenix named Fawkes, which had saved his life at the end of his 2nd year, but he definitely knew this one wasn't Dumbledore's.  
  
Maybe it's for Joy or Glory, he thought. After he had heard rustling and movement down in the common room, he heard a great amount of sobs and crying. Startled, he rushed downstairs to see what was the matter. He ran into the common room to see Joy pouring waterfalls of tears onto her sister's shoulders. Her sister was letting tears out as well, but not a lot. She was holding in her hand a letter. Hermione and Ron were trying to comfort them both, though seemed almost hopeless at doing so.  
  
"What happened?" demanded Harry in curiosity.  
  
"It's - oh!!!!" blurted Joy as she burst out another round of crying.  
  
"It's this," said Glory, showing the letter.  
  
"What's in it?" asked Harry.  
  
"It's the letter, a message given to us from our mother," mumbled Glory softly. "It states that our father has been attacked."  
  
"What?!?" shouted Harry, in shock. How could their father have been attacked? thought Harry. Wasn't Malfoy trying to join with them?   
  
"It was just last night," said Hermione. "Their father was attacked by five Death Eaters while he was just about to go to bed."  
  
"I don't know how they got in," said Glory, trying to dry a bit of her shoulder from Joy crying on it. Sadly, her new dress robe got wet too. "The palace is heavily guarded with knights and charms."  
  
"Oh, why?!?" cried Joy as she threw herself on Ron's shoulder. His eyes looked at Harry in shock. "Why did it have to be....him....next!"  
  
"There, there Joy!" Hermione said as she tried to calm Joy. "There wasn't anything you could do."  
  
"I wish I saw it coming," murmured Glory. "I saw the Dark Wizard's attack, why didn't I see this?"  
  
"Don't blame it on yourself, Glory," said Harry. "It's not your fault. By the way, how did you come over here?"  
  
"Joy let me in to discuss some inventions we were doing," said Glory humbly. I guess there's no use of continuing any more." Glory gave a long sigh and picked herself up. "I must leave. I have to go to the Slytherin Christmas Party. I don't want to be late."  
  
"Glory, after this?" asked Ron. "Forget about it!"  
  
"Just because something uncalled for has happened, doesn't mean I can't get myself together and forget my responsibilities. I must leave. Good bye."  
  
Glory, wiping the tears from her face, walked slowly out of the common room to the Slytherin party.   
  
"Why didn't she stay?" asked Harry, sitting down next to Joy and comforting her.  
  
"She likes to keep herself busy when she's sad," mumbled Joy as she lifted up her head, her make-up all washed up and streaming down her face. "But... oh!"  
  
It was a long evening of crying and calming down. Thankfully, no one else was in the common room, since most of the Gryffindors were partying in the Great Hall. Joy finally calmed down and went to her dorm. When Harry called it a night and went up to his dormitory, he thought about what had happened. Why, he thought, why did this happen? Are we wrong about Malfoy? Is he maybe against them? What is the plan?  
  
*****  
  
"Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! It's Christmas! By the way, happy Christmas, Harry!"  
  
Harry opened his tired eyes and tried to shake off his sleepiness. Ron, who had jumping like a little kid, had woken him, and most of the other 6th year Gryffindors boys (except Neville, he still slept like a log), from a thought-to-be long and peaceful slumber.   
  
"Ron, could you just let me go to sleep?" asked Harry in an irritated tone. "It's 7 o'clock in the morning! Stop acting like a little kid."  
  
"Yeah, Ron!" yelled Seamus, sitting up on his elbow and glaring angrily at Ron. "Shut up and let us get some shut-eye!"  
  
"Lucky Neville," said Dean. "He's sleeping like a baby all through this racket."  
  
Everyone turned their eyes to Neville Longbottom, who was sleeping on his stomach all over the place, with his mouth open and snoring loudly.  
  
"How can I not be awake?" enquired Ron to all of them. "It's Christmas! It's hard not to act like a child when it's this time of the year. We have to hurry up and open our presents early without the hustle and bustle of all the other Gryffindors."  
  
"Of all the times you sleep so deep that you look dead," said Dean, "now's the time you get up earlier than all of us, at 7 o'clock in the morning, when there's no classes, and tell us to get up?!?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"Fine, Ron," said Harry, as he sat up in bed and put on his glasses. "All of you can go back to sleep. I'll sacrifice some sleep and let Ron be quiet."  
  
"Wahoo!" shouted Ron.  
  
Harry shook his head at Ron and they both got dressed. They went downstairs where they met Hermione and Joy who were already in the common room. They were both still in their nightgowns, Hermione wearing a pink sleeping frock and Joy wearing a silky, red nightgown.   
  
"Can we open our presents all ready?" asked Hermione. "Ron and I have Gryffindor common room duty this morning, and I've got some extra homework to do."  
  
"You and your homework!" commented Ron. "Just relax for once, Hermione."  
  
"Fine. Come on, let's open our presents."  
  
All of them hunted for their presents under the tree, passing each other's gifts around once they were found. Harry opened his present from Remus first. He unwrapped his present, opened the box to see an old picture album, which had a lock and key, and its cover was made of blue leather, had gold tips in the corners and in silver embossment said Memories in the middle of the cover.   
  
Harry opened the lock with the key provided. He flipped through the pages of the wonderfully put-together album. In the album, there were pictures of Remus, Sirius and Harry's father. There were pictures of them in their robes during their years at Hogwarts, a picture of James on his broomstick in Quidditch, Remus, Sirius and both of Harry's parents, and more. All characters in the pictures were waving and smiling, except one with Snape in the corner. Trying not to remember the disturbing memory from the Pensieve from the previous year, he turned to the next page rapidly. It was just like the other photo album he had of his parents, but this one made him feel more connected to his roots in a way, with a complete set of pictures of the original Marauders. He pulled out the card that came with it as he read it to himself:  
  
  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
I was going mad trying to find the perfect gift for you. But alas, I had the idea of giving you the captured memories of your parents, your godfather and I into a scrapbook.   
  
Try to ignore the pictures with Peter Pettigrew. I know you already have an album of your parents, but even so, I thought you'd want it. I hope you like it, and I hope you have a great holiday.  
  
Your friend,  
  
Remus  
  
Harry felt like he was going to pour out all his emotion in a weep at that moment, but instead, he laid the things from Remus aside and took up the other presents. Mrs. Weasley had given him another jumper, Ron had gotten him a pocket manual on being Quidditch captain (Leader of the Team, A Guide on Being Quidditch Captain by Murphy MacNeeling), a nice batch of cookies from Hagrid and a bottle of the cologne Harry liked from Hermione. Even after all those presents, Harry could still not forget about Remus' gift and how much joy it brought him.   
  
He finally got to Joy's present. He read the singing Christmas card and opened the gift. It was a nice gold chain which in a tiny gold plaque was engraved the name "Harry Potter" and a canary-diamond lightning bolt beside it. It must have cost a lot, thought Harry as he examined the necklace. He put it on and saw it shine in the light, and despite it was a necklace, it was very masculine.   
  
He then opened the present the Dursleys gave him, which was a nice pair of dress shoes which he could wear on special occasions.  
  
He laid it aside and opened Glory's present, which included a charming Christmas card. There were two boxes; one was a very large box and the other was very small. He opened the packaging of the large one and found that it was a broom kit especially made for his Stella-Velocita 29 and manual on how to update the tiny screen on the broom. He once had a broom kit from Hermione, but he had used up everything and it wasn't as great as this.  
  
"Wicked!" he said to himself.  
  
Next, he opened the little box. It was a gold and amethyst watch, with a timer and everything. He was so impressed at how Glory had worked so hard for Harry's present, even if she wasn't one of Harry's very close friends.  
  
"Harry, what did you get?" asked Hermione.  
  
"I got a jumper from Mrs. Weasley."  
  
"As always," said Ron.  
  
"I got a Quidditch captain manual from Ron, a bottle of my favourite cologne from you, Hermione, a nice chain from Joy, cookies from Hagrid, a photo album of my parents with my godfather from Remus and a Stella Velocita 29 kit and watch from Glory."  
  
"Wow, Harry, you got a bunch of neat things," said Ron.   
  
"That album must mean a lot to you, doesn't it?" asked Joy.  
  
"It does, and thanks to all of you for your presents."  
  
"Your welcome, Harry," said Joy. "I just can't believe my sister gave a lot of nice things to you. Was my gift enough?"  
  
"More than enough, Joy. It's beautiful."  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione showed each other what they got, but as they did so, Joy just sat in the chair she was sitting in, sighing.  
  
"What's wrong, Joy?" asked Ron as he sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Nothing, it's okay."  
  
"Come on, tell me! I'm your boyfriend, I should know these things."  
  
"It's...it's just that I was thinking about my father's attack."  
  
"Joy, do you still need to let out some feelings about that? I could always lend a shoulder for you to cry on."  
  
"No, it's not that. It's just that I know how it feels to be attacked. I was attacked once."  
  
"What?" gasped Ron.  
  
Harry and Hermione turned their focuses and attention to Joy, at hearing her say the phrase, 'I was attacked once', and sat closer to Joy to find out what had happened.  
  
"You were attacked?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Yes, it was before we came to Hogwarts. It was just after the war when we were at our palace."  
  
"You mean, you were attacked by those Death Eaters?"  
  
"No, it wasn't Death Eaters. We had imprisoned all the Death Eaters during the war. It was only at the ball that they had all escaped."  
  
"Then what attacked you?" asked Harry.  
  
"Oh....it was uhm.....a giant snake."  
  
"What?!?!" shouted Harry, Hermione and Ron in unison.   
  
"Lord Voldemort - Oh Ron, give it up, he's gone now! - had a giant snake too," said Hermione. "Did it have something to do with You-Know-Who?"   
  
"We thought that at first, but we didn't think so, considering he was dead."  
  
"How could this be?" questioned Harry. "I thought you killed and imprisoned all of Lord Voldemort's associates."  
  
"You can't imprison a snake, and the snake wasn't part of the war," implied Joy.   
  
"So, Nagini - "  
  
"Who's Nagini?" asked Ron.  
  
"It's Voldemort's snake," said Harry.  
  
"How'd you know the name of his sn-" As Ron said this, Harry gave a frustrated glance at Ron, and realizing the look on Harry's face, Ron stopped. "Sorry about that. You can keep on going."  
  
"Anyway, did 'Voldemort's snake' attack you and your sister?" asked Harry.  
  
"Not my sister, it was just me."  
  
"Why wasn't your sister attacked?"  
  
"She was out somewhere, going to the library or something like that."  
  
"What happened?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Well I was fixing my hair and getting ready for the big party at the palace after the war. I think I was about to apply some lip-gloss until I heard this clinging in the walls, and I heard these strange noises coming from the toilet. I tried to see what was going on, and then suddenly this giant snake's head popped out of the toilet."  
  
"You must have been scared," remarked Hermione.  
  
"I was shocked to the bone. At first, I threw toilet paper at it and soap, not knowing what to do."  
  
"Wait a minute, wouldn't you have died or been petrified if you saw its eyes?" pondered Ron.  
  
"That's a basilisk, Ron," said Harry. "Voldemort's snake is just a really big serpent."  
  
"Oh, sorry," said Ron.  
  
"Afterwards, I got out my wand and did some dueling charms, which stalled it a bit. Once the guards heard my screaming, they rescued me and defeated the snake. I know it's a bit pathetic that I got scared by an oversized snake after defeating the Dark Lord, but at the time I was so relaxed that the war was all over that I was utterly shocked."  
  
"Wow...." murmured Harry in shock. "That's so strange."  
  
"I guess so."  
  
"By the way, I forgot to open your present," said Ron to Joy.   
  
He bent down and picked up the box. He didn't bother to read the card.   
  
"I'll read it later," he excused.   
  
He gently opened the little box and pulled out what contained inside, which he found a small metal gadget, with a tiny buttons, large red button and a little screen.  
  
"A BCB!" shouted Ron happily, carefully holding the gizmo. "This is bloody cool! Thanks a whole lot, Joy."  
  
"It's not just a BCB," said Joy with a smile. "Hold on, I'm going to move everything to make some space."  
  
With a wave of her wand, all the furniture and objects in the common room had pushed aside. She explained to Ron how the BCB worked. After he pressed many buttons, a beam shot out and there appeared an extremely large object. Harry didn't know exactly what it was. It looked very familiar to a sports car, like a red Lamborghini, but it also looked familiar to a small red jet or rocket. On the side of the strange figure it read in gold lettering: Light Lamborghino XL 5.  
  
"Whoa!" said Ron. "It's really neat.....What is it?"  
  
"It's a Light Lamborghino XL 5 of course!" said Joy. "It's the latest model from Light, that's a via-mobile company owned by Alberto and Alessandro Light. It's kind of a wizard car, except it's called a via-mobile."  
  
"A car?" enquired Ron. "Like the flying one we crashed in the 2nd year?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Uh.... Never mind."  
  
"Anyway," continued Joy, "it's a wizard-adapted version of the Muggle Lamborghini. It's what we use to get around in Italy."  
  
"Why don't you just use broomsticks?" asked Harry.  
  
"Oh please! As if we're going to go place to place on those wooden sticks."  
  
"How is this part of my present?" asked Ron.  
  
"It's yours! I want you to have the via-mobile."  
  
"WICKED!" shouted Ron at the top of his lungs, which Harry thought he had woken up everyone in their rooms. Ron's jaw dropped and his eyes widened to the size of Dobby's golf-ball eyes. Ron was panting with delight, and Joy was delighted at how much Ron liked his present. "THIS IS THE BEST PRESENT I'VE EVER GOTTEN!!! It beats this ugly jumper my mother gave me. Am I the only one who got the car?"  
  
"No, my sister gave a green one to Malfoy."  
  
"Ugh," mumbled Ron under his breath.  
  
"Yeah, it's true. I told her that it's a bad idea to be involved so much with Malfoy, but she didn't listen to me."  
  
"How do I drive this thing?" asked Ron.  
  
"You need a license for that. Don't worry, I'll take you on rides in the beginning, then I'll help you get your license."  
  
"Cool! Can we ride it now?"  
  
"Not today. I think some other Gryffindors are coming down. I don't want anybody to get excited over it," she said as she beamed up the vehicle into the BCB and handed it to Ron.   
  
"Wow, you and Glory give such nice things!" said Hermione. "I love the necklace you have me with the giant diamond pendant. It's gorgeous!"  
  
"Oh, don't mention it."  
  
With another wave of her wand, Joy put all the furniture back in place. All four Gryffindors packed all their presents in their rooms (Ron made sure NO ONE touched his BCB, not than most people knew what was in it). Meanwhile in their rooms, Joy and Hermione hurriedly got dressed for the day's festivities.   
  
All the Gryffindors were joyous and smiling as they savagely opened their presents. Seamus Finnigan was very happy with the presents from Glory and Joy (basically because it was from Glory). Joy had put on a lovely pink-and-purple dress robe for Christmas Day, which had a low neckline to show the simple yet cherished necklace that Ron gave her for her birthday.   
  
Afterwards, they rushed down to the Great Hall for a Christmas breakfast, full of sausages, eggs, toast, bacon, honey-bread, cookies and more. Once the tables were cleared out, everyone settled down to their own small activities. Ron and Joy were engaged in a game of Wizard Chess (which Ron would not give up playing the whole Christmas vacation) in the Great Hall.   
  
"Check mate!" declared Joy as her King chess piece crumbled Ron's queen.   
  
"You always win," huffed Ron sorrowfully, "and I thought I was the King of Wizard Chess."  
  
"You are the King, Ron. You won that giant chess game to get that stone."  
  
"The Philosopher's Stone to be specific," said Ron. "Even if I might be the King of Wizard Chess, you and your sister are the soon-to-be Queens for Magic!"  
  
"Although we should be titled 'Empresses'," said Glory who had just come from the Ravenclaw table.   
  
"Hey, Glory!" greeted Joy. "Happy Christmas! I see you've gone back to your usual clothing, right?"   
  
Glory was wearing a Renaissance-inspired dress robe, which looked very similar to the one Harry had seen a 13-year-old Queen Elizabeth I of England wearing in a painting. It was a red gown, sewn with jewels and other fabrics at the end of the sleeves and underneath the dress robe.   
  
"It's one of my favourite gowns," said Glory. "Do you like it?"  
  
"Of course, you look wonderful!"  
  
"What did you both give each other for Christmas?" asked Harry.  
  
"We gave each other small villas beside the Mediterranean Sea," said Glory.  
  
"Cool!" said Ron. "I wish one of my siblings gave me a villa, or anything that was actually worth anything! You both don't know how lucky you are. You're spoiled!"  
  
"Oh Ron sweetie, you don't know how thankful I am to have this," said Joy. "Ron, it doesn't matter what the value of the presents your sibs give you, it's the thought that counts."  
  
"They could try and get something extra nice for him at least," suggested Glory.  
  
"Now YOU are the spoiled one!" shouted Joy angrily. "You never look at the bright side. You just give a general thought, that's it!"  
  
"It's what we call etiquette and necessity, Joy. It's either you have it or you don't. Those who have it, get through life with class and delight. Those who don't, are cheap."  
  
"You're so mean!"  
  
"What, you don't like my philosophy?"   
  
Joy scowled at Glory hardly, but then sighed and tried to forget about it.  
  
"What did that Malfoy give you?" asked Joy, obligating herself.  
  
"He gave me a remarkable replica of Catherine the Great of Russia's crown. You know, the Muggle tsarina, a former Queen of Russia?"  
  
"Really? That must have been quite expensive. That was very nice of him."  
  
"What did Ron give you?"  
  
"It was something he had given me the night before. We went to the house-elves' headquarters and he planned and got all the house-elves to sing a love song to me. It was so sweet, and it was straight from the heart."  
  
"That was sweet, even if you can't keep it... What are you and Ron doing there?"  
  
"We were playing a game of Wizard's Chess," responded Joy.  
  
"And she won!" scowled Ron. "Do you want to play, Glory?"  
  
"No thanks. I'm more into another game."  
  
"Which one?" asked Ron curiously.  
  
"Here, I'll show you," said Glory, as she pulled out her wand and flicked it, and there appeared a large nicely-decorated box for a board game.  
  
"What's this?" enquired Ron, running his fingers along the sides of the box.   
  
"It's my favourite game, called 'Battle for the Mystic Empire'," she said as she unpacked the board game.   
  
It was a board game full of drawings of forests, mystic creatures and such nicely painted details onto the board. It had a giant raised mountain in the middle with a castle, and in the mountain there was a glittering mini-crystal ball.   
  
It wasn't like a Muggle board game at all. There were raised objects such as trees, waterfalls, etc, and everything was moving. The water was flowing, fish were swimming, demons in caves were growling... It seemed like an exciting game.   
  
Glory laid out blue and purple cards all around the board in certain selected areas. She also put 4 groups of marble figurines (which looked like the chess pieces except with little armies). Watching and examining every fascinating detail of the game, everyone was eager to play this fascinating pastime.  
  
"All right," said Glory after she finished setting up the game. "The game starts off with a little story.   
  
"There was a powerful king named King Wence, who lived on the top of Mount Fierce and controlled the Mystic Empire. The King had four children, and the Empire was divided into four kingdoms for each child to govern. The King possessed two special things: the Crown of Knowledge, which gave the wisdom and wit to rule to the one who wore it, and the Sword of Strength, which gave the power, courage and strength to rule to the one who possessed it.   
  
"But one day, an evil sorcerer named Trissle-theif destroyed King Wence at the top of Mount Fierce and took over the Empire and brought evil and fear to all who dwelled there. The only one who can stop him are the King's four children, all of us players, who are his legal heirs.   
  
"The object of the game is to bring your army on a journey through the Empire's lands to Mount Fierce to destroy the evil sorcerer and become King, or Queen, of the Mystic Empire before the others can. Everyone has 100 points to start off. The more your army and you are hurt by attacks, the less points you have. You can gain points from witch doctors around the board. If you lose all your points, your out of the game. Who wants to play?"  
  
"All the others can play except for me," said Joy. "I've played this game more than once with you, and you always win. Let the other three have a chance."  
  
"I suppose I was right," said Glory, looking down at her board game. "Two female leaders and two male leaders."  
  
The Gryffindor trio huddled around the divine game board with Glory, and they sat down at each corner of the board.  
  
"They all have different characteristics," remarked Hermione, examining her play pieces. "Do they have different names?"  
  
"Absolutely!" responded Glory. "I have Duchess Elizabeth of Henceburg. You, Hermione, have Duchess Guinevere of Dunetaine. Ron has Duke David of Tintletone, and Harry has Duke John of St. Stellinghoward. We should all roll to see who goes first."  
  
Glory took out the pair of dice beside the board game and gave everyone a chance to roll the dice. Hermione got 2, Ron had received 6, Harry got 12 and Glory rolled last and got 10. Since he had 12, the largest number, Harry rolled first.   
  
The game turned out to be quite thrilling and carefully thought-out. Their armies went through dark jungles, which they could have been attacked by trolls or healed by witch doctors. Ron was attacked so many times by evil creatures (especially swarms of Cornish Pixies) that he lost all his points in a few minutes. At the end, it happened to be Princess Glory who had won control of the Mystic Empire.   
  
"Wow, that was fun!" said Hermione.  
  
"Of course it is!"  
  
"Even if I lost," sighed Ron. "Is it just me, or am I suddenly losing at all games?"  
  
"Don't let yourself down, Ron!" encouraged Joy.  
  
"Maybe we can play this another time," suggested Harry.   
  
"Maybe so, but I have a meeting with General Arthur of the British Wizard Army. He wants to see some of my latest inventions in defense."  
  
"Are they those invisibility bands?" asked Joy.  
  
"What?" questioned Ron.   
  
"Invisibility bands," explained Glory. "They're bands which stick to your wrist and make you invisible, and when you flick them some amount of times it stops to stick and you're visible. I've also got some stuff like reflector tanks, which when hit by an explosion, the explosion bounces off, curse-proof armour, and a lot more things. Armies are incredibly interested in them, so much that because of it, my wage has raised 3 times more than I usually earn."  
  
"That's why we're spending so much this year," commented Joy. "Believe me, we've spent more than we usually spend each year."  
  
"I suppose I should go," said Glory as she packed up the board-game. "Bye, everyone!"  
  
Once the game was packed up, Glory left and the Gryffindor's leisurely Christmas Day activities continued. Joy and Ron played another game of Wizard Chess (even though Ron knew he would lose) and Harry and Hermione were talking about the presents they received.  
  
A few days later, it was New Years' Eve. All the students and staff were in the Great Hall, counting down until midnight. Ron was with Joy, Malfoy was with Glory, Hermione was with her books (sadly, Krum couldn't go to the celebration) and all the other couples and friends were together. Of course, Harry was with Cho, having a wonderful time just being in each other's presence.   
  
At the front of the Great Hall, there was a giant shield with the Hogwarts coat of arms on a pole with the number of the year at the bottom, which was used to count down to the new year, just like the gigantic ball in Time Square in New York for New Year's Eve. When it was only a minute until midnight, the crest started to lower down, and everyone counted down in unison.  
  
"Ten...nine..." counted down all those in Hogwarts, "eight... seven... six.... five... four... three... two...one!"  
  
When the Hogwarts crest reached the bottom, the number lit up and confetti and balloons flew up in the air and covered the Great Hall.  
  
"Happy New Year!"  
  
Everyone, delighted the new year had begun, was hugging each other happily. Harry and Cho hugged each other tightly, telling each other happy new year. Doing so, they pulled away from each, looked to each other's eyes, and joined back for a warm and romantic kiss.   
  
It was an absolutely magical evening that New Year's Eve. Harry thought that this new year would bring all the happiness and joy he'd ever wanted. As long as he was with Cho, he knew it would be a wonderful new year.   
  
*****  
  
"I'm not sure about this."  
  
"Come on, it'll be fun!"  
  
"I'm scared. I've never been on one before."  
  
"Me neither."  
  
"Let's go! It would be a new experience!"  
  
"Speak for yourself, Hermione."  
  
The whole gang, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Joy were outside in the Hogwarts grounds with Ron's new via-mobile. Joy had wanted very much to give her friends a ride in Ron's new via-mobile that evening, and to demonstrate to Ron how to drive one.   
  
The glowing moon was clear and full, nestled up high in a sky of darkness, the air was cold and fresh, and snow covered the terrain. Everyone was excited, and quite nervous, especially Ron. After a lot of encouragement and proof that Joy knew how to drive a via-mobile, and that she knew how to drive a via-mobile very well, they decided they'd take a nice drive in it.   
  
Joy had brought the BCB outside and had beamed out the shiny red via-mobile, that was slightly hovering from the frosty ground. Harry and the others hopped into this modernized way of wizard transportation, ready for a relaxing ride.  
  
The inside was very similar to a Muggle car, except with a futuristic touch. The 5 seats in there were white leather, and there was a black wheel and many colourful buttons, almost like a spaceship, at the front of the vehicle.   
  
"Cozy," remarked Harry as he sat in the backseat and looked around.   
  
"I've seen these when I went to Italy," told Hermione as she sat in the back with Harry. "The cabs are like this too, except not so classy and stylish."  
  
"And to think that this is mine," recalled Ron as he sat in the front, right next to Joy who was seated at the wheel.  
  
"Now that you've seen this thing," said Joy, "let's start the ride! Where should we go? Over the lake, above the castle, around the grounds...."  
  
"Everywhere," stated Ron proudly. "I want to see it ALL."  
  
"Sure thing," agreed Joy. "Now Ron, try to observe some of the things I do so you'll have an idea how to operate one of these. You'll be tested sooner or later."  
  
Ron gulped down a ball of worry as everyone buckled up their seatbelts. Joy turned the key and pressed down at the peddle. Suddenly, the jets blew and the via-mobile hovered higher into the air.  
  
"This reminds me of my father's flying car," remarked Ron.  
  
"Except that it's not an ugly Ford Anglia," added Harry (no offense to Ron).  
  
Joy pushed down more on the lever beside her and up and away they went. With a poised yet powerful takeoff and flight, Joy flew them all around the grounds of grand old Hogwarts. In the via-mobile, they passed Hagrid's house, who waved out of his window with Fang slobbering on it. They had passed over the dark and slightly-iced waters of the moat, with the sea monster peering with an eye from a space in the ice to see the flying aircraft. They also flew over all the frosty terrain of winter snow, glistening in the beams of moonlight, as if the stars weren't the only ones twinkling that night.   
  
It seemed like a perfect ride to Harry, who was in the back seat with Hermione, relaxing and enjoying the view (and by the way, he DID, in fact, have big windows). He felt like he was floating on air, with the comfort of his cushioned seat and the beauty of the scenery out his window. The ride could not be more calm.   
  
They were right at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, flying overtop of the scenery of giant, bare trees and dark depths of magical creatures and mystery. It seemed so tremendously beautiful, except for a strange figure flying in the distance.  
  
"Joy, what's that?" asked Harry, looking at the strange object out his window."I don't know," she replied, who was looking through the front window at the strange figure. "It looks like there's more than one thing out there."  
  
"More than one?" questioned Ron in a scared tone.  
  
"Yeah, and I think they look like some kind of flying creatures!" added Hermione.  
  
Their via-mobile, at a quick speed, was approaching the flock of strange creatures  
  
in front of them, which seemed like they were carrying objects. When Harry tried to look at them a bit more closely, he suddenly recognized the objects in relief.  
  
"Wait a minute, I know what they are!" shouted Harry. "It's the owl post! Those are owls!"  
  
"Oh, the owls," Joy sighed in relief, but suddenly realizing something, Joy looked up quite frightened. "Oh no, owls!"  
  
Harry didn't know what Joy was panicking for, and neither did anyone else, but then his eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw that the via-mobile was heading straight into the flock! The birds were shrieking, and so were Harry and his friends. Ron, who had been slightly tensed before, was panicking immensely.  
  
"AH, WE'RE GONNA HIT 'EM!" shouted Ron in panic. "WE'RE GOING TO BE RUINED! I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE COME IN HERE!"   
  
"Oh will you stop it?!?" screamed Joy.  
  
The birds, who had noticed the via-mobile was heading towards them as well, were flapping their wings and hovering in place; they were too scared to move.   
  
"Here we go!" called out Joy.  
  
She pulled the lever, and just as they would have collided into the owls, they went straight below them. All four of them were calm for a second, but then they noticed that they were falling at a rapid sped. They screamed at the top of their lungs in terror, but then Joy turned up the via-mobile and starting to fly. She was trying to fly straight, calm and steady, but then another flock of owls came in front of her.  
  
"Oh no, not again!" shouted Harry.  
  
Joy ducked under the other flock of owls, and the via-mobile dived straight into the Forbidden Forest. Everyone was screaming, once again. Joy was so petrified with horror that she couldn't do anything.   
  
The via-mobile plummeted into the trees with a steep drop. The via-mobile hit a branch and turned, and then another branch. Finally, Joy wasn't so petrified anymore and turned the wheel, and the via-mobile started flying straight again. Everyone was a bit calmer, but then a large tree appeared right in front of them. Joy turned the via-mobile another time, but while she turned, she hit a branch and fell spinning.   
  
Finally, the via-mobile made a large thud as it hit the frozen ground floor of the Forbidden Forest. All of them could feel their hearts beating speedily from the fright. Joy laid her head on the wheel of the via-mobile sorrowfully, and suddenly, she burst out crying.  
  
"Why didn't I see those owls!" she cried, making the steering wheel very wet and soggy. "I put all your lives in danger!"  
  
"It wasn't your fault, Joy," said Ron, calming down Joy, though he was still scared stiff. "You couldn't see that there were owls coming. It's the owls' faults!"  
  
Joy howled and cried even more.   
  
"And it's just not that!" continued Joy. "I landed the via-mobile in the Forbidden Forest!"  
  
Harry looked through his window to see a dark, mystifying and unsettling forest. He knew the via-mobile had landed in the Forbidden Forest after a long time of falling, but it just hit him then, even though he had been there very many times (practically every year at Hogwarts), that it was 'forbidden'. Harry, of course, knew it was forbidden, but he had realized they could get expelled or suspended if caught, and he also remembered why it was called the Forbidden Forest.   
  
He just remembered the scary things, monstrous creatures and evil dwellers that were hidden in those woods (even though he had completely forgotten this on his other adventures). It was probably one of the first times of his 6 years that he, or he and his friends, had come into the Forbidden Forest by accident, and had realized the dangers and very many secrets it held, and no matter how many times you've been there, there would be still more to be scared about. It was remembering that which sent a sharp chill up his back and through his neck.  
  
"Maybe you can try and start it up again," suggested Hermione.  
  
Joy lifted her face off the wheel, sat up straight and tried to start up the via-mobile and make it move. Unfortunately, nothing was happening, so she just turned it off once again.  
  
"It doesn't work!" she said, bursting with more tears.  
  
"We're not supposed to be in the Forbidden Forest!" complained Hermione.  
  
"Maybe someone should check out the via-mobile and see what's wrong," suggested Ron.   
  
"Who?" asked Hermione.  
  
"I don't know, but someone."  
  
"We don't know how it works!"  
  
"It's a lot like a Muggle car. Plus, it doesn't take a Muggle nor a wizard or witch to see that something's broken."  
  
"But who's going out?"   
  
"I will," volunteered Harry. "I've been here loads of time, though in this situation I still haven't lost my fright for it. Even though this place still gives me the chills, I know this place the most out of all of us."  
  
"No, don't go!" shouted Joy. "It's my fault, I'll go."  
  
"No, you're staying here, Joy," said Ron.  
  
"Harry can't go alone!"  
  
"I'll go with him," volunteered Hermione too. "I'm a top student, and I'm probably the one who's paid the most attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts since we've started Hogwarts. Even so, I have been in the Forbidden Forest a couple of times. Ron, you take care of Joy."  
  
"It's more like she's going to take care of 'me'," implied Ron. "And what about when you were complaining and saying: 'We're not supposed to be in the Forbidden Forest!'?" imitated Ron.  
  
"Exactly," said Hermione. "I'm checking out the via-mobile so we can get out of here as soon as possible. Come on, Harry."  
  
Harry followed Hermione out the back of the via-mobile and into the forest. They both cast 'lumos' spells on their wands, and searched around the via-mobile. There weren't any bumps, nor scratches, and there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it either.   
  
"I don't get it," said Hermione. "It looks okay."  
  
"We should check near the engine," suggested Harry, "right under the cover of the car."  
  
"Sure," agreed Hermione.  
  
They both walked over to the front of the cover, where the engine would be. Just when Harry was going to lift it up, strange banging and hooting noises were made under it.   
  
"What's that sound?" enquired Harry.  
  
"Sounds like something's in there. We should look under it."  
  
Harry grabbed the tip of the cold cover of the via-mobile, and then he silently and gently opened it. Tangled in wires, a white, snowy owl with a small pouch was hooting and flapping its wings like mad.  
  
"It's Hedwig!" stated Harry cheerfully, as he untangled the wires and freed the owl. The bird flapped his wings and perched on Harry's shoulder. "Should we go send Hedwig to get help?"  
  
"No, I think we'll be fine."  
  
"Go to the Owlery, Hedwig!"   
  
Hedwig flapped his wings and flew away to the castle. Harry and Hermione were about to go back into the via-mobile, until they heard whispering noises.   
  
"Is there something else under the cover?" asked Harry.  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"Did Joy and Ron hear anything?"  
  
"No, Ron's too busy calming down Joy. They probably didn't hear a thing."  
  
"We should go investigate."  
  
"No!" whispered Hermione harshly. "We have to go now! The via-mobile's okay now. We can leave!"  
  
"I'm going," said Harry, walking away and trying to follow the location of the whispers.  
  
"You're so stubborn," she sighed, and reluctantly followed him.   
  
With their lit wands and the trail of sounds, the two tried to find where the noise was coming from. When they were an eighth of a mile away from the via-mobile, they stopped in their tracks as they found where the noises were coming from.   
  
Three figures were standing in the darkness in the middle of surrounding trees. Harry could see the smallest of the figures, which seemed to look like a teenager. The smaller figure was standing next to a taller, adult-like figure, who was standing in front of a large figure, which Harry nor Hermione could figure out who it was. At that moment, Harry's scar began to slightly throb.  
  
"Master, what will we do?" asked the teenager. "Some students are getting suspicious at the school. They're trying to snoop around."  
  
"And the aurors are on our tail, I know it," said the adult. "How long can we keep this up?"  
  
"Relax," hissed the strange figure. "Neither of the people mentioned are even close to finding out what we're up to. They're still cloaked in mystery and confusion. They'll never find out what's going on."  
  
"Who do you think those shadows are?" whispered Harry, who was hiding behind a group of crowded trees with Hermione.  
  
"I don't know," responded Hermione. "The smaller one looks like a teenager, probably a boy. The one standing beside him is probably a male adult. The other shadow, I don't know. I have no idea if it's a woman or a man!"  
  
"I think it's a woman," suggested Harry. "It has female features."  
  
"It has a masculine voice, though. I think it's a guy, but their voices aren't too familiar."  
  
"Just a bit," said Harry, who felt he heard the voice of the strangest figure before. "Maybe it's a he-she."  
  
"Stop acting so silly!" scolded Hermione. "Listen!"  
  
They turned around and focused once again on the conversation, which was still taking place.  
  
"Potter and his friends are snooping around again," said the teenager. "They found out your plans before. They could do it again."  
  
"I ordered you to form a plan to destroy him at the Quidditch match," said the stranger, "but you failed!"  
  
"I know. I tried to get the Slytherin team to hurt him, then when he was alone in the Infirmary, I would finally destroy him."  
  
"Maybe you should find a better plan. And you," it said to the adult, "what do you mean by that the aurors are on our tail?"  
  
"They're very suspicious, and they're snooping around a lot. They're asking questions to every single ex-Death Eater, and they're starting to find clues from the kidnapping of those two wizards."  
  
"Yes, have you kept them in a safe place?"  
  
"Of course. No one will ever know where they are."  
  
"Excellent."  
  
"What about all the attacks from the Ministers of Magic?" asked the teenager. "They're going to heal soon, and you never know if they may take it out on the monarchy. The attack did take place at their sixteenth birthday."  
  
"They aren't going to take down the monarchy. With royalty joined with me, nothing can stop us. You're forgetting Princess Glory is the strongest witch in the world   
  
these days. She could wipe out a whole entire nation by the snap of her finger. And her knowledge, no one can outsmart her."  
  
"What about Princess Joy?"  
  
"Her? She's no good. That perky little girl could never be supreme. She might be extremely strong, but she could never use it so willingly, nor would she do any form of the Dark Arts. She's no match compared to Princess Glory."  
  
"Do you think Princess Glory will find out what's happening? You said she's extremely smart. She could find out what's going on and destroy us all."  
  
"That's true, but she'll never suspect this," said the stranger to the teenager. "It's right under her nose. She loves you, and nothing can stop her if she wants to have her way. You're the only one who can bring us to power, you and I. You're the most important person in this mission, and it's all up to you. All we have to do is wait less than two years, and then we'll finally gain power. You, Princess Glory and I will rule over the empire, and bring evil and fear to everyone. And you," it said to the adult, "will make sure everything comes to plan."  
  
"I won't disappoint you," said the teenager. "I'll conquer the world with Princess Glory, and bring you back to power."  
  
"Wonderful.... However, there's another task we have to do. We have to bring back my pet.... That would bring us more power. If only Princess Joy hadn't got it slaughtered."  
  
"Yes, Master."  
  
"What do they mean by 'pet'?" asked Harry.  
  
"I don't know," responded Hermione. "If we knew who all three of them were, we'd know what the pet was."  
  
"Who do you think they are?"  
  
"There's no doubt who the teenager is. It's Draco Malfoy, absolutely. The strange figure was telling that Glory loved him, and that it was up to him to gain power."  
  
"Malfoy's Glory's boyfriend too. And that part of him gaining power, I don't get that."  
  
"I don't kn- I've got it! What if Malfoy's trying to gain power with Princess Glory's help? With her by his side, it will be impossible to be defeated, but what happens in two years? I didn't understand that, Harry."  
  
"In two years... What's going to happen to Joy and Glory in two years? By then, we'll be out of Hogwart- Of course! They'll be crowned Queens, and probably Malfoy's going to try and marry Glory, then he'll be King! But if the teenager's Malfoy, who's the adult?"  
  
"I'm guessing it's Lucius Malfoy. He's an ex-Death Eater, or maybe he still is one, I'm not sure, but he would know if the aurors were involved after the ex-Death Eaters. They're probably asking Lucius Malfoy a whole bunch of questions, but I'm not too sure who the strange shadow is."  
  
Harry didn't even have to think on that question. He already recognized that voice, from all the encounters and terrorizing nightmares that haunted him at night, and that throbbing scar reassured him of it too. He knew who the figure was, with no doubt whatsoever.  
  
"Who is it?" asked Hermione.  
  
"There's only one person who it could be," said Harry shakily. "Voldemort."  
  
"How?" questioned Hermione confusingly (which she rarely did). "He's dead! Glory and Joy killed him. There's no way it could be him, is there?"  
  
"I don't know, but I think he came back somehow," uttered Harry in a low voice. "We just have to find out. Maybe they killed his body, but his spirit is still lurking.""Perhaps, but what did they mean by 'pet'? I don't recall Lord Voldemort having a pet..."  
  
"Of course he does! Or 'did'..."  
  
"What are you talking about, Harry?"  
  
"You should know! Joy told us about it on Christmas morning."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nagini!"  
  
"That? Oh, I remember! How could he bring him back, though? I understood Lord Voldemort coming back, because after all these years I've noticed the dude won't die, and he's had his come-backs many of times."  
  
"I'm not too sure, but we can discuss it with Joy and Ron. Do you think the kidnappings of the hypnotist and the business man have anything to do with this?"  
  
"To gain power, supposedly. That business man had a lot of power. Less power for the world, more power for Voldemort. And that hypnotist. Not too sure about-"  
  
"Master, what's that sound?" asked the adult figure.  
  
"I don't know," said the mysterious shadow.  
  
"Oh no!" whispered Hermione in panic. "They heard us!"   
  
"We should go," whispered Harry back.  
  
The figures stared into the area of forest surrounding them, looking closely for any movement or for anything which could have made the noise. Once the three shadows continued their conversation and ignored the search, Harry and Hermione crept quietly back to the via-mobile. They made sure they didn't make any sounds, for the consequence could have been fatal.   
  
Harry opened the door of the via-mobile to see Joy and Ron kissing in the front seats. Joy and Ron quickly noticed that they were back, and pulled away from each other. All four stared alarmingly at each other, Joy and Ron looking a bit embarrassed.   
  
"You WERE taking long!" said Ron as an excuse. "Anyway, what was wrong with the via-mobile?"  
  
"Harry's owl was tangled in the wires," answered Hermione.  
  
The couple went back to their seats to make everything seem like nothing had happened (or specifically, to make everything seem that nobody was caught smooching someone else in a via-mobile), as Harry and Hermione jumped in the back of the vehicle. Joy turned on the key (which successfully made the car start), pulled the lever, and the via-mobile hovered higher and higher and then flew away to the castle.   
  
Joy parked the via-mobile at the Hogwarts entrance. Everyone got out of the via-mobile, and once they were all out of there, Joy beamed it into the BCB and handed it to Ron. They sneaked through the entrance, into the hallways and back to the Gryffindor corridors until they were standing right in front of the painting of the Pink Lady.   
  
Just when they were about to say the password, a gigantic (more than 6-feet tall) flame appeared right in front of them, frightening them all (including the Pink Lady). Princess Glory stood, with her arms crossed, where the flame was, and rage was smeared across her face.  
  
"WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN THE FORBIDDEN FOREST?!?!?" she demanded.  
  
"W-what?" stuttered Harry in shock. "H-how did you know?"  
  
"I have my ways," responded Glory seriously. "Now answer my question: What were you doing in the Forbidden Forest?"  
  
"We were flying the via-mobile," explained Joy, "and yes, we did have permission from Nono Albus. We almost collided into a flock of owls, and we crashed into the Forbidden Forest. Harry and Hermione checked out what was wrong with the via-mobile and we found that there was Harry's owl stuck in the wires. Then we went back to the castle."  
  
Princess Glory stared at them very suspiciously. She knows we didn't just do that, thought Harry. He felt a quivering feeling inside of him, with drops of cold sweat dropping down his neck. Glory, however, stopped staring at them and instead stared up at the wall in thought.  
  
"What are you doing?" asked Ron.  
  
"I'm thinking of how I should tell the Headmaster what you did," she answered, still looking up in thought.  
  
"You can't tell on us!" shouted Joy. "It was a simple accident. You've got to cover for us."  
  
"Fine, I will," sighed Glory. "Just promise me you will NEVER, EVER step foot in that forest again! I don't want anyone to get hurt or anything bad happening because of some silly actions. Understood?"  
  
They all nodded in agreement.  
  
"Very well."  
  
"Glory, is that duel on Saturday still on?" asked Harry.  
  
"Absolutely. Perhaps I should leave now. Goodbye, everyone."  
  
With another startling swirl of flames, Glory apparated out of their sight from the Gryffindor entrance.   
  
"You're not going to say anything, are you?" asked Ron to the Pink Lady.  
  
"No, I believe you," said the figure in the painting with a kindred smile. "It was purely an accident."  
  
"All right. Green williwig," said Ron, which was the new password for the new year.  
  
The painting opened to the Gryffindor entrance, and all four of them entered the common room, thankful the terrifying night would soon be over. They walked up the stairs to their dormitories before the two girls and two boys would separate to go to their rooms.   
  
"How did Glory know we were in the Forbidden Forest?" asked Harry.  
  
"She's psychic, isn't she?" said Hermione. "By the way, Harry and I have something to tell you."  
  
Harry and Hermione told Ron and Joy about the conversation they had heard from the strange figures. Both Ron and Joy were shocked to hear what they had to say. Could Voldemort have risen from the dead? Could he have gaining power and would take advantage of Glory's relationship between his follower, Malfoy? And even so, how was he doing all this?  
  
Author's Note: Hope you liked it. PLEEEAAASSSEE REVIEW!!!!!!!!! Oh, and next chapter: Harry had that duel with Glory that they mentioned before. Also, a little something happens to Cho. IT'S A HUGE PART IN THE STORY!!! 


	12. The Surprising Duel

Chapter 12  
  
A Surprising Duel  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does, which means she owns all the money, the fame..... Sorry about that! Anyway, I also don't own the PC Game of Harry Potter of the Chamber of Secrets, which I used some spells and creatures from, like Diffindo and Venomous Tentacula (at least, I think that's how you spell Venomous). I also don't own Lord of the Rings, War and Peace, Heidi, Pollyana, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" and "Cinderella, which are some of the books I mention in the story. There will be another disclaimer at the end, basically because I don't want to ruin any surprises.  
  
Author's Note: Hey, people! Sorry it took me so long to put this chapter up, but it's really long. I could have divided it into two chapters, but I didn't want to renumber all my other chapters, and I noticed that JK Rowling writes some things that can be put into other chapters. Don't worry, it's worth the read (i hope)! I won't do anymore re-caps, because there are summaries and hints from the other chapters. I will do a few recaps at the last author's note, but that's it. HOpe you enjoy!  
  
As Harry had asked Glory before, the second duel between both Harry and Glory was that Saturday. Harry had read the dueling manual Glory had given him at least 8 times, and was absolutely ready for today's match, or at least he thought he was.   
  
Because the Quidditch pitch had been burnt to an ashy crisp, they had to do the duel in the Great Hall. There was a platform set up, just like when Harry had first dueled during Professor Lockhart's lesson (which was absolutely horrible). The gigantic, lit score board was put up high on the wall, baring the names of Harry Potter and Princess Glory. Harry was told before that since they were in the Great Hall, charms had to be cast, which would create a kind of screen that would keep all spells on the platform so it wouldn't escape to the crowd.   
  
Everyone in Hogwarts was there, as usual, and it all went just like it did last time, except that a lot more people were rooting for Glory. All the students and staff members knew Glory was a tough player, and she could have done way worse things to Harry during the last duel if she wanted to.   
  
The group cheering for Harry was on the right side of the platform, and Glory's crowd was on the left. Below the score board, there were stalls where the staff members and Lee Jordan were seated.   
  
When the duel was about to begin, Harry, with his wand in hand, walked to the middle of the dueling platform, with cheers and boos buzzing in the year. Princess Glory, as well, walked to the middle of the platform, holding her precious wand.   
  
"Are you sure you're okay with this battle?" asked Glory, thinking that Harry would probably be pulverized by the end of the duel.  
  
"Of course I am!" responded Harry.  
  
"You're starting first, right?"  
  
"Yep!"  
  
"Good luck, Harry!" said a small voice.  
  
Wondering where that small voice came from, Harry looked to his right. It was Colin Creevey and his brother, Dennis, both holding their cameras.  
  
"Hi, Harry!" said Dennis, with a camera in front of his face, just like Colin. "We hope you'll win the match!"  
  
"Of course he'll win the match!" assured Colin. "Well, he got squished the last time, but I know he's going to win this duel! I'll take a bunch of pictures for you during the match!"  
  
"Thanks," muttered Harry sarcastically.  
  
"And I'll take pictures of you too, Your Royal Highness!"  
  
"Why thank you," said Glory with a polite nod.  
  
"Hope you have a good time, Dennis," said Harry.  
  
"Oh, I will!"  
  
From the side door of the Great Hall, Mme. Hooche walked into the Great Hall and then hopped onto the platform with her referee robes and whistle. Once she was in between them, she blew her whistle to gather the crowd's attention and to start the game.  
  
"Salute!" she called out to both of them, and both Harry and Glory did the salute signal and went into position.  
  
"On your mark," called out Mme. Hooche, as she backed off the platform. "Get set....Go!!"  
  
Harry, who was the first to start, aimed his wand at Princess Glory and made a spell.  
  
"Sliporio!" he shouted, which made a glossy, slippery, clear liquid come out of his wand and spread in front of Glory.   
  
"Is this supposed to make me slip?" questioned Glory with a chuckle. "Come on, Harry! You know I'd ignore it!"  
  
What Glory didn't know was that the slimy liquid was spreading and flowing behind her at that moment. When she took a what thought to be a harmless step back, she slipped and knocked her head.  
  
"Ow, that wasn't called for!" she yelped, holding her hand on the back of her head and trying to get up.  
  
"Princess Glory has slipped onto the liquid behind her, thinking that she could ignore it," announced Lee Jordan. "Smart move, Harry!"  
  
"-5 points to Princess Glory!" shouted Mme. Hooche  
  
A small bit of the light in Glory's bar had disappeared. Harry smiled with a small sense of victory.  
  
"Smart move, eh Harry?" said Glory as she stood up. "Not bad. Dizzilio!"  
  
Once Glory whipped up the spell, a faint, purple mist came out of the golden wand. Harry could see the missed floating passed the barrier around the platform and straight onto him. He wasn't sure what was happening, though he felt as if he couldn't keep his balance.   
  
"Her Royal Highness has performed a dizzy-making charm," said Lee Jordan, "so Harry won't be able to focus on his next move."  
  
"-5 for Harry Potter!" shouted Mme. Hooche.  
  
So that was what the charm was for, thought Harry as he realized it. He could feel the dizziness come over him already. He thought he was going to fall flat on his face, for he was swaying and he felt he could barely stand up.   
  
Harry, making very much effort to concentrate, was trying to figure out what spell to do next.   
  
"Explodorius!" he said as he stretched out the arm holding his wand, swaying back and forth.   
  
Unfortunately, he was so dizzy the spell had backfired, and instead, it blew up right in his face! Glory laughed out loud very hard (as did the Slytherins), but most of those in the Great Hall shrieked and gave sympathetic expressions. Because of the backfire, Harry's hair was standing on end and he was full of soot. However, he didn't feel dizzy anymore.  
  
"Thought you'd try the blow-up charm again, didn't you?" snickered Glory with a hearty laugh.  
  
"The 'explodorius' spell has blown up in Harry's face," sighed Lee. "It appears to be that Princess Glory is laughing hysterically."  
  
"-15 points for Harry Potter!" called out Mme. Hooche.  
  
"Shovitimbi!" shouted Princess Glory.   
  
'Shovitimbi' was a spell which gave the opponent a powerful thrust, and some- times could have made a weaker player unconscious. A green-coloured, gust-looking thrust shot towards Harry powerfully.  
  
"Reversio!" said Harry quickly.  
  
The thrust, which was speeding towards Harry very forcefully, suddenly reversed and went back to Glory. After she made a loud screech of surprise, she was pushed with the thrust of force and fell down hard. Harry could tell she was getting a bit annoyed by the look on her face.  
  
"-15 points for Princess Glory!"  
  
"Princess Glory has been pushed and fallen to the floor from Harry's reverse charm," said Jordan. "Very good, Harry!"  
  
Harry thought up another charm as quickly as he could. Rapidly, he held out his wand and said a spell.  
  
"Wavi-havo!" he shouted.   
  
A giant wave of gushing water had formed near Harry and swept into Glory's directions. It splashed against the barrier screen, and as it rushed towards her, the wave swept Glory off her feet and went over her. Once the water was down, she picked herself up, soaked to the skin. She did a spell to dry herself off, but not even that powerful wave could have swept away that awful frustrated look on her face.  
  
"-20 points for the Princess!"  
  
"You really think you're going to win this?" growled Glory. "Bladacius!"  
  
At that moment, sharp, spinning blades shot out of her wand and went straight to Harry. As he watched the blades speed at him, he started to panick; he didn't know where to go. He tried to duck and avoid the blades. He ended up avoiding some of the blades, but unfortunately he suffered 5 of them. The deep cuts were crimson red with blood, and they stung with immense pain. Strangely the one thing that caught his mind was: Whoever said that a paper cut is the most painful wound never dueled with Princess Glory.   
  
And yet, Glory still didn't seem too happy about the spell either. She had a certain look, the expression where one does something wrong on purpose and loving it while one does harm, but suddenly feel absolute guilt afterwards. She hadn't meant to harm Harry that way; she only wanted to win the duel.  
  
"Five of the spinning blades have sliced Harry Potter with bad wounds," exclaimed Lee. "Ouch! He'll have to see Madame Pomfrey after this, folks! It seems like Princess Glory isn't happy about the spell either."  
  
"-15 points for Harry Potter."  
  
"Mimble-wimble!" he shouted.   
  
It was the only thing he could really do at the moment. The spell wasn't a powerful one, but he didn't have the strength to do a very powerful one anyway. Mimble-wimble was the dueling spell which miscasts the opponent's spell. It was a small spell which could protect him, hopefully.  
  
"-5 points for Princess Glory!"  
  
"Harry Potter has done 'mimble-wimble', used to screw up the other player's spell."  
  
"Could you use better language, Mr. Jordan?" asked Professor McGonagoll.  
  
"Sure thing, Professor McGonagoll! The spell is used to miscast the other player's spell."  
  
"Wirim electro!" shouted Glory.   
  
The spell was supposed to shoot electric wires at Harry, but it didn't work. The electric wires shot out of the ground, heading towards Harry, but instead, were pulled back. The electric wires became all tangled up and blasted in Glory's face.  
  
"It seems that the electric wire spell didn't work for Her Royal Highness."   
  
"-15 points for Glory!" shouted Mme. Hooche.  
  
Princess Glory looked a bit like Harry did when his exploding charm blew up in his face, except that she got rid of that awful look very quickly.  
  
"I look like a wreck!" she said as she cleaned herself up.  
  
Harry didn't know what to do after that. It seemed to him like almost all of the information from the manual was disappearing from his memory. He picked out a simple spell, since his wounds were still throbbing.  
  
"Rictusempra!" he shouted.  
  
The spell knocked Glory backwards very hard, and she almost flipped too. She picked herself up though, just a bit dizzy.  
  
"-5 points for the Princess!"  
  
Glory stood there thinking for a few seconds, thinking what else to do (actually, it was taking her longer to think because of the dizziness she was enduring). She waved her wand and cast the spell.  
  
"Venemouso tentaculaso!"  
  
A gigantic plant-looking creature appeared on the platform and crawled towards Harry. It looked like a venous fly-trap, one of those man-eating ones, with more than one head and more than plenty of arms and limbs. It crawled towards Harry, nipping at him, its arms staying behind the barrier. It nipped, swiped and bit Harry, giving him even more wounds. Those bites swelled up, and they stung even more than 15 of those blade gashes. He became very worried if he might have been poisoned.   
  
"-25 for Harry Potter!"  
  
Harry knew he had to get rid of the creature. He remembered a charm he learnt in Herbology, which could have been useful.  
  
"Diffindo explodis!"   
  
The Venemous Tentacula exploded before their very eyes, covering Princess Glory head to toe in strange, green, plant goop. As she looked down at herself, she was positively disgusted.  
  
"-10 points for Glory!"  
  
"It seems that Her Royal Highness has got herself in a sticky mess. Maybe she might have to go to the hospital wing too, or even take a long shower! Yuck..."  
  
She cleaned herself up quickly with a spell, extremely thankful the goop was gone. When she finished cleaning herself, she concentrated on the next spell.  
  
"Tornadium!" she shouted.   
  
A twirl of wind blew right before her. The swirl of wind grew larger, and larger, and larger, until it became tube-like. It had formed a small twister, a powerful one, which was aimed at Harry.   
  
"Mimbus back!" said Harry, before the twister got to him. The twister spun backwards, right into Glory. She was tossed aside, spinning. The twister vanished afterwards.  
  
"-20 for Her Royal Highness!"  
  
Princess Glory had gotten herself up many times in the match, and was getting fed up with it. She tucked her robes (her tie and uniform were untidy because of the blow of the twister) and got herself ready for another spell.  
  
"Vinus minus!" she shouted, and vines shot out of the ground, grabbing Harry. They pulled Harry to the ground with great force, bashing his head to the ground, up and down. He had a headache afterwards; it wasn't pleasant. The vines vanished a few minutes after.  
  
"-15 points for Harry Potter!"  
  
Harry looked up at the scoreboard. He was winning! Only 5 more points and Glory would be defeated. He was so excited!  
  
"Rictusempra!" said Harry as he cast the spell happily.  
  
She was knocked back, once more, and then got herself back up. A giant amount of cheering was heard in the Great Hall, and Glory was looking around wondering what was happening.  
  
"Her Royal Highness has lost all her points!" shouted Lee Jordan in shock. "Princess Glory 0, Harry Potter 25! Harry Potter has won! It's a new record!"  
  
"Harry Potter is the winner!" shouted Mme Hooche in declaration.  
  
Glory sank to her knees, her hands clutched together. She looked confused; she had lost. How could this be? Harry was more than overwhelmed to win, but his happiness seemed to vanish once he saw Princess Glory. She looked as if she was going to cry.   
  
She looked up at Harry, with sorrow, but in a split second, her lip had curled, her eyebrows raised, her nose snarling, and her hands were clutched into a fist. She was raging mad. SHE was the champion. She had owned the world of dueling. And now, Harry Potter had ripped that away from her!!   
  
It was so strange, what happened then as well. Harry knew his scar burned whenever evil was near, and it happened a few times that year and he understood that. But that same burn came to him again at that moment.   
  
Harry was almost scared. He felt as if Glory was going to leap at him and tear him to shreds. His fear had drowned out all the boos and cheers. Glory angrily stomped off the platform. Students tried to crowd around her, some of them wanting to take pictures, but she pushed them away forcefully. Harry wished he hadn't won. It wasn't worth it. He had turned Glory into a raging, sorrowful monster.   
  
He turned away from the angry Princess and his ears were immediately swallowed in cheers. His friends ran up to him, hugging him and giving him compliments.  
  
"You won, Harry! You won!" shouted Ron. "It's incredible, except that Glory doesn't seem too happy."  
  
"She's not at all," added Harry.  
  
"Harry, congratulations!" congratulated Joy. "I'm so happy for you. I've never seen- Oh my goodness! Look at those wounds!"  
  
Joy pointed at all the swollen spots, cuts and such all over Harry.  
  
"We've got to get you to the Hospital Wing!" said Hermione.   
  
Harry agreed, so they quickly went to the Infirmary. Madame Pomfrey shrieked when she saw Harry, and put him in one of the beds straight away. She put anti-biotics, creams, lotions and bandages on his wounds, which stung even more than when he actually got the wounds! She handed him some medicine tablets, and told him he'd have to stay there for a day. He lay there, trying to get some rest, while he talked with his friends.  
  
"That was amazing, Harry!" complimented Joy. "Not many people can do that. Actually, I don't think anyone could have done what you've done!"  
  
"Hasn't this happened before?" asked Ron.  
  
"No, it hasn't! Not even when she first started dueling did she ever lose. This is her first time."  
  
"Wow, I guess she must be a really good dueler!" implied Ron.  
  
"She's the best, I say. She has won the International Dueling Championships 5 times in a row!"  
  
"She must be crushed," thought Hermione.  
  
"You bet!"  
  
Just then, Glory rushed into the room, but this time, she absolutely ignored Harry and his friends. She approached Madame Pomfrey with a sorrowful look, yet trying to pretend she wasn't.  
  
"Hello, Madame Pomfrey," greeted Glory in a low voice. "May I have some healing tablets?"  
  
"Why of course, Your Royal Highness," said Madame Pomfrey, going through the medicine cabinet. "I heard you suffered a loss at the game."   
  
"Unfortunately, yes. It was my first," she sighed in a gloomy tone, glaring at the window, still not looking at Harry or the others in the room.  
  
"Poor dear. But don't worry sweetheart, it's not the end of the world."  
  
"No, it isn't," admitted Glory. "It's just the end of my dueling career."  
  
"Now wait a minute, Glory!" interrupted Joy. "Just because you lost one small battle, you're going to give up dueling?"  
  
"Why not?" questioned Glory frustratingly to Joy.  
  
"Why? You're so good at it!"  
  
"Really, am I?" questioned Glory to her sister. "Was I really good? Or maybe it was all the others making sure I won because of my title."  
  
"That's not true, Glory! They tried their very hardest to win those battles, and yet you still won. Let's face it, you're the best!"  
  
"Not any more. Obviously, someone's better than I am, better than I will ever be."  
  
"Listen, Harry just tried to do his best, that's it. Even so, he learned from experience from dueling you the other time, plus he did get tips from you. It all makes sense!"  
  
"Does it?"  
  
"Glory, did you even think that maybe you wanted him to win?"  
  
"What?" questioned Glory confusingly.   
  
"You were so sad that you hurt him so badly last time. I remember last night you were worried stiff if you critically injured him. You were scared, it's obvious."  
  
"Is it that obvious? You know I need to win. I didn't want to hurt him, that's true, but that doesn't mean I didn't want to win!"  
  
"Just don't quit dueling, all right?"  
  
Madame Pomfrey handed Glory a glass of water and a couple of pills. Glory popped all the pills in her mouth and swallowed everything in one gulp.  
  
"I should be leaving now. I hope you get better, Harry," she said sternly. She walked slowly to the door with her head down.  
  
"Are you going to see Professor Fliwtick maybe?" asked Joy. "For a duel practice?"   
  
Glory turned back to Joy, with an 'I-give-up' look on her face.  
  
"What's the point?" sighed Glory.  
  
Glory rushed out of the Hospital Wing, leaving the others sad to see a champion give up everything over one small loss.  
  
"Maybe she'll get over it," said Ron.  
  
"I'm not too sure about that," implied Joy. "She can hold a grudge for a pretty long time. But I think she'll get over it some time. She's a smart girl. She'll recognize how silly she's being. Plus, she loves dueling too much to give it up so quickly."  
  
"Maybe it's time you three let Harry have some rest," suggested Madame Pomfrey.   
  
The three of them left the Infirmary, saying goodbye to Harry and wishing him a good recovery. A few minutes after they were gone, Cho came in with a basket filled with packs of Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans.  
  
"Hello, Harry!"  
  
"Hi, Cho!" greeted Harry happily. "Thanks for coming. It was very sweet of you."  
  
"Harry, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't visit you in the Hospital Wing?"  
  
Harry smiled. Cho was one of the sweetest girls in the world to him, and he cherished every moment he had with her.  
  
"I can see you have a lot of candy there," remarked Harry.  
  
"It's for you," she said as she laid them on the table beside him. "It's kind of my get-well present.   
  
"I'm really sorry about all those injuries. I heard Glory saying in the common room about how scared she was if she would injure you, but it turns out she hurt you more than before. She looked very upset after you won. I saw her stomping to her dormitory on the way here."  
  
"I know. I somewhat feel like I wish I never won. She says she's going to quick dueling."  
  
"Oh Harry, you should be proud you won! Don't let Glory's anger get in the way of that. Besides, she loves dueling so much. She likes it even more than how much we both like Quidditch. She'll get better, but she can get carried away with her anger sometimes."  
  
"I can tell you don't really like her."  
  
"It's not just that I don't like her. She's really nice if you get to know her, but we're two separate people who just don't agree with each other. She has her views, I have mine. Plus, she's a bit stubborn, and she has a tendency to always want it her way."  
  
"Just try and get to know her. She's a really nice person, despite the aches she gave me."  
  
"I'll think about it. I guess I'll go, Harry. Hope you get better. By the way, the trip to Hogsmeade is coming soon. Maybe we can make it another date?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
"Great. I'll seen you soon."  
  
"Bye!"  
  
Harry stared at Cho as she went out of the room. That whole entire day he thought of her, while eating all the entire contents of the basket of sweets.   
  
**************  
  
The day after, a big article on the front page on The Daily Prophet explained every crumb of detail of what happened during the duel the previous day. Joy was very disappointed with The Daily Prophet of how big of a deal the writers made it seem. She knew it would only make her sister even angrier (and it did!).  
  
Everyone in Hogwarts, either student or staff member, was reading the article and talking about Glory's loss. But even more, they cheered Harry on and congratulated him on his victory. He kind of liked it, if only he didn't feel so sorry for Glory. Even so, he was happy that at least his wounds were all healed.   
  
In the middle of breakfast in the Great Hall a few days after the duel, Glory had burst into the room, panicking. She rushed straight away to the head table to speak to Professor Dumbledore.  
  
"Nono! Nono!" called out Glory as she approached the head table. "I really need more anger pills. I'm all out, and I need some quick!"  
  
"Calm down, Glory," said Professor Dumbledore. "Relax, relax. Take this as an opportunity to try and overcome your anger without the pills."  
  
"But I can't!" she admitted in urgency. "I NEED THOSE PILLS!"  
  
"Well, if you need them so urgently," said Professor Dumbledore calmly, "I will go get some for you. It will only be a minute. Please, try to stay relaxed while I'm gone."  
  
While Professor Dumbledore headed out of the Great Hall, Princess Glory tried to take deep breaths, although to Harry she looked more like she was hyperventilating. Malfoy, chatting with his Slytherin friends at his table, noticed Glory looking anxious. He stood up from his seat at the Slytherin table and rushed to Glory.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked Glory.  
  
"No, not really," admitted Glory. "I'm not too happy today and I have no way to control my anger."  
  
"What about that trick Professor Dumbledore taught you?" suggested Malfoy. "About the sweets?"  
  
"No, I can't stand sweets in the morning."  
  
While Glory and Malfoy were talking and trying to figure out ways to calm her down, Cho Chang rose from the Ravenclaw table after noticing what was going on, and walked over to the two. When she was there, she cleared her throat to get both of their attention.  
  
"What do you want, Cho?" demanded Glory in a frustrated tone.  
  
"I just wanted to tell you," informed Cho, "that a great way to relax yourself is tai chi. My dad's cousin gives tai chi lessons, and..."  
  
"Listen, I don't have time to learn tai chi right now, okay?" yelled Glory. "Just go away!"  
  
"But you should really try it," continued Cho.  
  
"Cho, will you please back off?"  
  
"Why won't you listen to-"  
  
"I SAID BACK OFF, CHOPSTICKS!!!"  
  
At this utter (well, it was more like a shout), every single person in the Great Hall gasped and stood in surprise at Glory. The whole entire school knew she was very angry with Cho now.   
  
Harry glared at the magnificent and giant painting of Princesses Joy and Glory hung at the head of the Great Hall. The figure of Princess Joy looked incredibly embarrassed and was shaking her head, and the figure of Princess Glory's jaw dropped. Even the paintings knew that what was going to happen next wasn't going to be good.   
  
"How dare you say that to me!" spoke Cho angrily. "You didn't just offend me, you offended my culture! You should have more respect for others!"  
  
"You should learn to back off when someone doesn't want to be disturbed," said Glory back.  
  
"And speaking of respect," added Malfoy, "you shouldn't talk that way to your Princess!"  
  
"My 'Princess?'" questioned Cho. "You know, Glory is sure rude for one! I truly think your title spoils you rotten!"  
  
"Excuse me?" questioned Glory.  
  
"Yeah, it spoils you!" continued Cho. "You always think you're the boss and that you always have to be obeyed. I'm sick and tired of it! You should take respect lessons from your sister."  
  
"Can we please not get me into this?" asked Joy at the Gryffindor table.  
  
"Princess Glory has a right be obeyed," stated Malfoy. "In two years, she will be ruler of all the Magic Empire, and if you keep up that bad attitude towards her, she can have you arrested!"  
  
"You mean 'maybe' in two years," implied Cho.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Don't you remember? All the Ministers for Magic are getting together to plan if they should keep the monarchy. According to my opinion, they should eliminate royalty."  
  
"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!?!?!" shouted Glory.  
  
"It's true! It's not fair that just any random person can get unlimited power like you. Besides, we should have democracy. How can we trust you with so much power? You can wipe out a whole entire nation with that much power, and the fact that there's two of you is even more frightening."  
  
"Which means she can wipe you out too!" interrupted Malfoy.  
  
"Hey, I can do great things with this power, okay?" said Glory. "I destroyed Lord Voldemort if you remember. If it wasn't for my sister and I, the whole world would still be unsafe! And I'm an excellent politician, by the way. Ask anybody."  
  
"You-Know-Who would have been destroyed sooner or later. It's not right that you get to be worshipped like a god and get all the riches of the world, when some people are starving."  
  
"I work very hard to earn that money! And I am trying to help those less fortunate. My sister and I have donated to many charities and have founded a few charities as well! And I'm not worshipped as a god, and even so, that's 'goddess' to you!"  
  
"So? It still doesn't change the fact that you have unquestionable power that you received randomly."  
  
"You better apologize to the Princess!" demanded Malfoy.  
  
"No! Why should I? She's got everything else except for my apology. Maybe she should apologize to me for being such a stubborn, power-thirsty brat!"  
  
Once that name was spoken, Glory transformed into the raging beast she had turned into at the duel. She was absolutely furious.  
  
"MAYBE THIS WILL TEACH YOU SOME RESPECT!!!!!" Glory shouted, as she punched Cho extremely hard with a massive strike in the ribs. Her punch was so hard that Cho flew to the wall from the punch. Once she landed on the floor, she screamed in pain.  
  
"CHO!" shouted Harry, running to Cho. "Are you okay, Cho?"  
  
"Not too well," she gasped as she held her chest. "I think - I need - some ice - from Madame..."  
  
"I'll bring you there," he said. After he said this, he turned to Glory with a stern and fuming look. "Why'd you do this? You're a monster!"  
  
Glory was with no doubt offended from the remark, as was Malfoy. Just then, the doors shot open and there stood Professor Dumbledore, looking angry and disappointed.  
  
"Glory, come here!" shouted Professor Dumbledore.   
  
Glory, glaring around the crowd of students and staff watching the scene, slowly approached guiltily to Dumbledore. Glory quietly spoke to him, looking a bit scared. Professor Dumbledore and her left the Great Hall and were gone for an hour or so. It turned out that Professor Dumbledore had a talk with Glory and signed her up for anger management lessons.   
  
Once Glory and Dumbledore left, Harry helped Cho to the Infirmary to get some ice.  
  
That week was a strange week concerning Glory. The once kindred and witty sister of Joy had become shrewd, mean and ruthless, and of course Malfoy was at her side. His new sense of good manners had vanished. He became a bully again, and so was Glory.   
  
However, the strange thing about the Princess' behaviour was that she wasn't always so awful. It was only half the time that she was ruthless, but for the other half, she was mostly sweet, kind and the normal characteristics she possessed before she was a monster. It was what Harry thought had seemed like 'schizophrenia'.   
  
Harry observed Glory and her behaviour, wondering if it had anything to do with Malfoy and his plans to became ruler beside Glory and to bring back Lord Voldemort. No one ever told the professors what was happening, neither did they want to know. It seemed like almost a crime to get the Princess Glory in trouble.  
  
There was one particular day when Harry and his friends really became witnesses, even victims, of Malfoy and Glory's bullying. It was the first day after Christmas holidays, and Harry, Hermione, Ron and Joy were talking to one another in the halls on the way to Herbology, when they spotted Malfoy, Glory and their gang knocking the books of a Hufflepuff 2nd year girl out of her hands. After the girl had run away to class crying, Malfoy and Glory turned to the four Gryffindors.  
  
"Look who we have here!" pointed out Malfoy. "Potter, Weasley and Granger. Freaks of a feather flock together, you know. That's probably why they're such good friends!"  
  
"Don't you dare make fun of my friends!" shouted Joy.   
  
"And of course, my perky, freakish, goody-goody, too-sweet-for-her-own-good sister!" said Glory, as Malfoy, Goyle and Crabbe laughed. Glory's four friends forced a laugh, even though Harry could tell that they weren't comfortable with Glory picking at others with Malfoy. "How are you doing today, Sis?" she asked sarcastically with a giggle.  
  
"Why have you suddenly become so evil, Glory?" asked Joy. "Can't you just be the nice person you were before?"  
  
"Why should I?" questioned Glory. "I like it like this. Striking fear and pain is candy to me now."  
  
"No, it's not candy. It's just purely wrong! Do you really think Dumbledore would agree to this?"  
  
"Do you think I care?"  
  
"You will once I tell him."  
  
"You know, I don't think you should tell Dumbledore," said Glory, leaning closely to Joy, not letting anyone else hear their conversation except the two Princesses, Harry, Ron and Hermione.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because....Let's just say, I have another thing to tell Dumbledore about all you four... What was it? Uhm....You, in that forest- "  
  
"You wouldn't dare!"  
  
"Believe me, I would."  
  
Joy's usually enormous smile vanished as she got angry and scowled at Glory.  
  
"I cannot believe you!" spat out Joy.  
  
"Yeah, Glory!" interrupted Ron. "You should stop picking on innocent students."  
  
"You of all people, Weasley!" said Malfoy. "I have no idea what Princess Joy sees in you. She makes more money in a single week than your father makes in a lifetime! If your parents are so cheap, why did they have so many kids?"  
  
"Hey, if they didn't have so many kids, Ron wouldn't have been born!" shouted Hermione.  
  
"I'm sure a lot of kids would have been born if you just keep on going," added Glory, with another laugh from the evil gang. "And if you do want that many kids, you should at least be able to feed them all."  
  
"My parents do feed us!" argued Ron.  
  
"Sure, that's what they all say."  
  
"It's not how much money that counts, it's the love that counts!" stated Joy. "And I don't know what Glory sees in you, Malfoy! You're a slimy, mean snob!"  
  
"So?" questioned Malfoy, which made Joy get even angrier. "As a matter of fact, I am very loving to Glory, and we have a wonderful time together. Unlike you, Weasley, I can afford to be with her. She deserves the best, and the only thing you can give Joy is anything that was a free sample!"  
  
Malfoy, Glory and their friends burst out laughing. Ron had gotten beet-red from the insults; he was so offended.  
  
"Glory, how can you let this happen?" asked Harry. "You're a really nice person inside. Don't let this cruelty overcome you!"  
  
Glory tried to ignore this comment, but obviously it hurt her in some way. Harry guessed she really was a nice person, but she didn't want to show it.  
  
"Why don't you go ask your sushi-seeker girlfriend about me, Harry? She probably won't think I'm such a nice person!"  
  
Harry couldn't deny that. Yes, it's true Cho didn't like Glory too much, but why did she have to bring it up? The fact that she called her a 'sushi-seeker' got him quite angry too.  
  
"Why can't you stop bullying?" cried Hermione. "What good is it going to do tormenting others?"  
  
"It gives us pleasure," said Glory.  
  
"Power, too!" stated Malfoy. "Of course, Glory will have all the power she wants in less than two years, and she'll have the greatest reign of all time!"  
  
"Yes, and I'll make sure you, Draco, are ruling by my side!" said Glory with a playful giggle.  
  
"Of course. We'll have a wonderful reign together," he said, as he gave an evil smile to the rest of them.   
  
Harry was shocked to hear this. It seemed as if Malfoy was proving to everyone that he would want to take over with Glory. Maybe their theory was right; Malfoy was after her power. Or did he love her just like he said?   
  
Malfoy kissed Glory on the cheek, which made Harry want to puke, and just like many times during his years at Hogwarts, his scar burned. It could have been another clue...another clue about what Malfoy was proving....   
  
Joy got very angry, considering it wasn't just Glory who would become Queen. Harry could tell that Joy knew that Malfoy and Glory were mistreating their privileges. Hermione seemed very frustrated and grabbed Harry and lead him to the boys' washroom.  
  
"Thanks, Hermione," said Harry. "I felt like I was really going to hurl out there, looking at Malfoy....kiss....Glory... Yuck! - Wait a minute, this is the boys' washroom!" noticed Harry. "You're not supposed to be here, Hermione!"  
  
"Hey, I let you in the girls' washrooms once," said Hermione. "Even so, I wanted to talk to you in private."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I wanted to talk about what Malfoy said," explained Hermione. "Doesn't it seem obvious that he's so excited when Glory will be crowned Queen, and how he was gloating when Glory mentioned he'll be ruling beside him? He wants to be crowned with her! That's probably why he's in the relationship. And when he becomes king...."  
  
"They'll have a reign of fear and bring Lord Voldemort back to power," continued Harry. "Do you think Malfoy really loves her?"  
  
"They sure do look like a couple, but I'm not too sure about that. I'm still a bit confused about Voldemort gaining power, too. Wouldn't Malfoy want all the power, instead of sharing it with You-Know-Who?"  
  
"That really is a bit strange. Maybe it's because Lord Voldemort is helping Malfoy get what he wants. Maybe he has the same views as Voldemort, but doesn't know how to fulfill them. Why is Lucius Malfoy in this?"  
  
"Lucius Malfoy's the ex-supporter of Voldemort, or more like he still is. He was always supporting him. Now he'll have a chance to support him again. Besides, a lot of people will do anything to get power, even if it's just a little bit of it."  
  
"You're right. We should tell Joy and Ron about this."  
  
"Shouldn't Glory know about this too?" asked Hermione. "She probably doesn't even know what's going on!"  
  
"What if she does know, and wants to follow with it?"  
  
Harry and Hermione stood silent for a moment in thought. Could Glory really be in this because she wanted to?  
  
"I don't think so," responded Hermione. "She couldn't do this on her own free will. I know she's mean right now, but I think it's because something evil has overcome her. Something like Malfoy, that's what. But if someone's going to tell her, it should be Joy. Glory would never want to hear it from us. She wouldn't believe us. Come on, let's tell them."  
  
They both walked out of the washroom, being careful no one would see them, and caught up with Ron and Joy in the grounds heading to Herbology.  
  
"Where were you two?" questioned Joy. "We're going to be late for Herbology!"  
  
"We both have to tell you something when we get there," said Hermione, "and it concerns your sister."  
  
All four of them scurried to the greenhouse, where Professor Sprout was getting ready for the class. She was wearing her usual cloak and gloves, looking very messy from working in the dirt. Harry and his friends seated themselves quickly, noticing that everybody else was already seated. Professor Sprout looked up at the class and smiled.   
  
"Good morning, class!" greeted Professor Sprout in a friendly tone.  
  
"Good morning, Professor Sprout!" greeted the 6th year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs in unison.  
  
"Welcome back to the greenhouse after the Christmas holidays! As I told you last class before the Christmas break, we have finished our unit on Orientolips. You also had been assigned a project about the Orientolips. As I remember, the project is due today, am I right? You will hand me your assignments at the end of the class.   
  
"Now, for our new unit. For the month of January, we will be officially starting the unit on extremely dangerous weeds and plants used for medicines. Yes, we did write notes on this the previous 4 months, but this month our whole entire unit will be dedicated to this specific category. You won't have to put on your working cloaks today, just take out your notes and Herbology manual. We will be discussing and noting about 2 specific plants today."  
  
The students took out their books while Professor Sprout looked for her Herbology manual. While she was looking for it, Harry and Hermione got to tell Joy and Ron about their ideas on Malfoy and Glory.  
  
"What was that thing you wanted to tell us?" asked Ron, who was rummaging through his bag looking for his notes.  
  
"It was about what Glory and Malfoy said," answered Hermione. "Remember what we said about the conversation in the For-?" Hermione looked around to check if anybody was listening. "Forbidden Forest?" she whispered.  
  
"Yes of course," replied Joy.   
  
"Hermione and I," said Harry, "were talking about when we heard how Glory was talking about Malfoy and her in power, and how much Malfoy was gloating about Glory's future reign."  
  
"Yes, I absolutely understand how much Malfoy boasts about Glory and her powers," agreed Joy. "It disgusts me! It makes both of us seem corrupt, absolutely powerful and like show-offs. That's not how we're like! At least, that's not how I'm like. All those details and reign-talk sickens me."  
  
"Don't you want to be Queen?" asked Harry.  
  
"Of course I want to be Queen! Just think of all the good things I can do for the world. I'm absolutely excited! But how everyone talks about it... It just seems funny. For once, I wish everyone would treat me like a normal person. That's why I love being with you three. You make me feel comfortable."  
  
"I think we got off topic here," remarked Hermione. She continued on about what Harry and her discussed. "We recognized today that Malfoy was really looking forward to Glory being Queen. It really seems like Malfoy is dating Glory to become ruler beside her, and to bring You-Know-Who back. What Harry and I think is that Malfoy is trying to bring Voldemort back to power, with the help of his father, who is one of his supporters, and Glory's power."  
  
"And those figures in the Forbidden Forest," added Harry. "We think the teenage male was Malfoy, the adult was Lucius Malfoy and somehow, I have no idea how, the strange figure could have been Voldemort."  
  
"Wow," said Ron. "This is really serious."  
  
"Of course it is, honey!" said Joy. "It's my sister we're talking about! She's being used. Oh, poor Glory!"  
  
"Wait, is anyone listening to us?" enquired Harry.  
  
They all looked around them. No one seemed to be listening to them. By the time they were sure no one was listening to them, Professor Sprout had already found her Herbology manual (finally!).  
  
"For the first 2 weeks," continued Sprout, "we'll be learning about a variety of dangerous weeds and the plants that heal the victim's of the weeds' affects. The two plants we'll be studying today are the Venimi Monstro and the Timplewimp.   
  
"The Venimi Monstro is located at the heart of the most dangerous and most magical jungles. Who knows where these jungles are?"  
  
Automatically, Hermione's hand shot up.  
  
"Yes, Hermione?"  
  
"The jungles where the Venimi Monstro are found are the Amazon in Brazil, the Bandundu Jungle in the Congo, the Great Forest in Southern China, the Nile Jungle in Egypt and the Binston Jungle of Cape Wessel, Australia."  
  
"Very good, Hermione! You've earned 5 points for Gryffindor. Now, the Venimi Monstro is an extremely dangerous and venomous weed. The weed can reach 10 feet, and its appearance resembles a cross between a Venomous Tentacula, a giant squid and a tropical tree.   
  
"All the leaves on this weed are purple, and can give a human being a terrible rash if that person even touches the weed's leaf. If bitten by this abominable weed, a deadly poison will be injected into the living creature's body. The only way to get rid of the poison is by extracting the poison using specific magic leeches called Pin-pint leeches.   
  
"The Venimi Monstro can also suck the blood, fat and even some of the magic powers out of a creature. The fact that it can suck up some magic powers is why it is feared by all magical creatures, including witches and wizards. It can suck up to half the amount of magic powers a creature has. There is only one plant that can heal you from this horrible weed. What is it?"  
  
Hermione and Joy quickly raised their hands.  
  
"Yes, Joy?"  
  
"The plant is the Timplewimp, Professor Sprout, as you told us before," answered Joy, smiling.   
  
"Yes, the Timplewimp is the only plant known to cure the wounds of a Venimi Monstro and restore the victim to perfect health. Another 5 points to Gryffindor. It can help restore the blood, fat and magic powers of a person, victim or non-victim of the Venimi Monstro."   
  
Hermione raised her hand.   
  
"Yes, Hermione?" asked Professor Sprout.  
  
"Professor Sprout, what do you mean by 'victim or non-victim'?" asked Hermione.  
  
"That means that even someone who has lost blood, fat or some of their powers, but wasn't attacked by the Venimi Monstro, can still be cured by the Timplewimp. And don't you all start thinking that the Timplewimp can give you more powers, because it doesn't!   
  
"To continue... The Timplewimp can grow as big as the Venimi Monstro. The Timplewimp looks very much like a giant, multi-headed, blue sunflower. The plant, which can also be called a flower, has a mind of it's own, as does the Venimi Monstro, and the Timplewimp is a very friendly plant.   
  
"Tomorrow we will be planting Timplewimps. You must get into groups of 4-6 people. For homework, you must write a 100-word essay on the history of the Venimi Monstro attacks and a 150-word essay on the Timplewimp and modern medicines made with it, due on Thursday. You may put your projects on the Orientolips on my desk before you go."  
  
The students packed up their things and laid their projects on Professor Sprout's desk. A few minutes later, the bell rang and off they went to their next class.  
  
After lunch, the Gryffindors had their Charms class. Harry had to admit, him and his friends were a bit early for class, but they all wanted to see how Glory was acting to check if she was in her good mood or bad mood, and to see if they could get some more clues in the Malfoy-Glory-Voldemort problem.  
  
When they got to their Charms class, they found out that the door was locked. They looked around to find Professor Flitwick, and down the hall they saw a little old man with shredded clothes, bandages and an ice pack on his head heading to the door.   
  
"Hello, Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley and Ms. Princess Joy!" said Professor Flitwick as he unlocked the door with his free hand (the other hand holding the ice pack).  
  
"Hello, Professor Flitwick!" said the four of them together.   
  
"I'm surprised you all got here early," said the little professor.  
  
"We...wanted to... start nice and early for your class," lied Ron Weasley.  
  
"Well that's nice," said Professor Flitwick.   
  
Harry looked at the bad condition Professor Flitwick was in and wondered why he was like that.  
  
"Professor Flitwick, why are you in bandages and torn clothes?" asked Harry.   
  
"Oh dear me," said Professor Flitwick as he realized his appearance. "I do look horrible, don't I? It's because I had a small duel with Princess Glory in the beginning of lunch. It's our first duel since her loss. Now she's become even rougher than before. I tell you, Mr. Potter, don't do another duel with Princess Glory ever again! I can tell she's disappointed about that loss. Who knows how rough she'll be the next time you duel!"  
  
Professor Flitwick opened the door and let them all in the classroom. The Gryffindors entered and they all took their seats.  
  
"I guess she went back to dueling quicker than I thought!" said Joy.  
  
A few minutes later, Glory and her four friends came in the class. Glory, at that moment, looked a lot more nicer than before.  
  
"Sorry, Professor Flitwick, about that duel," apologized Glory.   
  
"Oh don't worry about it, Princess Glory!" said Flitwick. "I'll be fine."   
  
Glory put her things on a seat and walked over to Harry, Hermione, Ron and Joy.  
  
"Hey, guys!" she greeted them cheerfully. "Listen, I am so sorry about what happened this morning. I absolutely didn't mean the things I said, and what Draco said. I guess something came over me. For some reason, I become a bit mean time to time, and so does Malfoy. Can you please forgive me?"  
  
The four of them looked at each other, thinking if they should forgive her or not.  
  
"We forgive you," forgave Joy, as everyone else nodded in agreement.  
  
"Great!" said Glory. "Thank you so much!"  
  
Glory smiled that she had received forgiveness, and afterwards, she went to her friends and took her seat in the Charms classroom.  
  
"'A bit mean?'" murmured Ron to Harry, talking about what Glory said. "It seemed a bit more like extremely savage behaviour and cold-heartedness if you ask me!"  
  
*****  
  
It was the evening of the same day, and Harry was just about to finish his Herbology essay on Venimi Monstro attacks. Harry took out a book about the subject from the library, and it turned out that there were more attacks than anyone could describe in just 100 words. Harry read the contexts, and learned of the gruesome stories about the monstrous weed. Once he was done, he put his things away, stretched out his legs and lied down on the sofa in the Gryffindor common room.   
  
Harry was thinking about the discussions his friends and him were having on their new 'mystery', as though it seemed. Even if they talked openly about every subject, Harry never mentioned one thing: his scar. It had burned so many times that year, and Harry knew what it meant when his scar throbbed. It usually meant evil was around, and most often, Lord Voldemort.   
  
There were sweets laid out in the Great Hall that evening, which was why so many people weren't in their common rooms. Ron was at the sweet-feast of course, probably trying to find more Wizard Cards for his collection. Hermione was in the library doing research, for fun (that always made Harry think she was a bit crazy). Joy, though, was in the common room, with Parvarti, Lavender, Dean Thomas and a few other students from other grades. Harry thought this could be his moment to tell Joy about his scar problem. He didn't know how she would react, but he thought he'd give it a try.  
  
"Uh, Joy?" spoke Harry to Joy.  
  
"Yes, Harry?" she responded, peering her head out of a teen-witch magazine.   
  
"I need to tell you something."  
  
"What is it, Harry?"  
  
"It's about... my scar..."  
  
"What about it, Harry? Oh no, has Malfoy been teasing you about it?"  
  
"No, of course not! It's just.... you see...." Harry didn't know how to explain to Joy about his scar. Could she understand?  
  
"It's my scar," he said. "It burns."  
  
Joy's star eyes widened very much in shock.  
  
"Oh dear," uttered Joy. "I've heard about when you got a burning scar."  
  
"What?" questioned Harry. "How? Who told you?"  
  
"Oh, I read it in Hogwarts, a History Volume II and The Boy Who Lived: The Harry Potter Biography."  
  
"They have my biography?" questioned Harry in complete awe.  
  
"Of course! It was my sister who showed them to me. I decided to read them after she introduced them."  
  
"She reads those books?"  
  
"Harry, we're talking about my sister. She'll read anything!"  
  
Harry, as he heard this, nodded in agreement.  
  
"What did the books say?" asked Harry.  
  
"As I recall, they said that time-to-time your scar burns, which means that trouble or evil is near."  
  
"Then it probably didn't mention that it burned when Lord Voldemort was near."  
  
"Oh dear! Does that mean- ?"  
  
"That means it's a sure thing that something around this school concerns Lord Voldemort!"  
  
"Oh no! That doesn't sound good. Harry, I think we should go to my dorm to discuss this. Anyone can eavesdrop on us if we talk in public."  
  
"In your... dorm?"  
  
Harry was a bit uncomfortable about the idea. That was the girls' dormitory she was talking about. He'd been in a girls' bathroom (embarrassingly speaking), but a girls' dormitory?  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Harry.  
  
"Don't worry, Harry! I just need to hear what you need to say. Besides, I get bored of being in the common room all the time. Come on!"  
  
She lifted herself off the couch, dropped the magazine and lead Harry to the girls' dormitory, and to her rooms. The door to her rooms was large, wooden and old-fashioned. Harry saw a strange little screen with buttons around it right beside the entrance.  
  
"What's that?" he asked Joy, pointing to the screen.  
  
"Oh, it's a telecom," explained Joy. "It's like an intercom. Just push the big red button in the middle and the person inside will open the doors for you."  
  
She unlocked the door with a big strange key she took out of her robe pocket. When she opened the door, it revealed behind it another door. There was a little speaker near that entrance.  
  
"Password, please," spoke a voice from the little speaker.  
  
"You won't tell anybody about the password, will you?" asked Joy.  
  
"Of course not!" said Harry.  
  
"Good. Her Royal Highness Princess Joyous Mary Anastasia Matilda Cleopatra  
  
Dumbledore-Illiermo. Chocolate frogs, puppy dogs, kittens and ice cream logs."  
  
"Password accepted. You may come in."  
  
The door opened, which revealed another entrance! The door was metal, and there was a little screen with buttons at the side of the metal door. Joy put a card in the slot, which operated the screen.  
  
"Eye and hand scan, please!" said the screen.   
  
A hand scan came out of the wall, and so did a small black ball. Joy put her eye to the ball, and put her hand on the scan. There was a little beep afterwards.  
  
"Scan accepted. You may proceed."  
  
The metal doors suddenly opened, and Joy and Harry went into the room.  
  
"See what I have to go through every time I want to go to my rooms?"  
  
Harry looked around to see a colourful, interior-decorated room with a Moroccan theme; it seemed very chique. There were many more doors around the room, which probably lead to other rooms. At Harry's left, there was a long, spiral staircase.  
  
"Nice rooms!" complimented Harry.  
  
"Thanks! Why don't you have a seat?"  
  
Harry sat on the comfortable red sofa as Joy sat across from him on the next sofa.   
  
"Sofia!" called out Joy. "Can you come here for a moment?"  
  
At that moment, something strange came from one of the doors. It looked a bit like a dwarf, maybe even a gnome, or even a house-elf. It resembled the house-elf Dobby, yet it was a lot more chubbier (a lot more!), with a big circular nose, tangled hair in a small bun and the little elf wore a small, stained maid-uniform robe. It seemed to be a female.  
  
"At yo' service, Yo' Royal 'Ighnessa!" said the little creature in its broken English.  
  
"Yes, can you bring some party mix and two butterbeers here for Harry and I?"  
  
"Of coursa! Right awaya!"  
  
The little creature scurried off into one of the doors as Joy turned to Harry.  
  
"Was that one of your house-elves?" asked Harry, remembering what Dobby said about him becoming one of their house-elves.  
  
"Oh yes. That's one of my personal house-elves I brought to Hogwarts. By the way, I heard you know Dobby."  
  
"Yeah, I do. He already told me about you gave him a job at the castle after you graduate."  
  
"Yes, and I am very excited about it."  
  
Just then, Sofia the house-elf came in with a tray of party mix in a bowl and two glasses of Butterbeer. It laid it down quickly and scurried off.  
  
"Tell me about this burning scar issue you wanted to tell me," said Joy.  
  
"Oh that! Well, I've been getting throbbing pains and burns in my scar many times this year. As I told you before, I usually get it when Lord Voldemort's around."  
  
"When did these moments occur?"  
  
"It happened twice in the summer, once at the ball, once in the Forbidden Forest, at the match... and today when we were talking with Malfoy and Glory."  
  
"Hmm.... Tell me about the ones you had in the summer," she said, taking a pretzel from the bowl.  
  
"The first one was around the time of my birthday, probably a day after it. My birthday's the 23rd of July," he told her, taking a sip of his Butterbeer.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes. It was the best one, I think. It was strange because at the time I saw a people from Hogwarts parade down Privet Drive. Privet Drive's where I live with the Dursleys. There was Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, everyone! It was so strange. Then I had the throbbing pain, and I fainted. The strangest thing was that I woke up and found out that I had been unconscious for four days!"  
  
"Oh, that is serious. When did you get this burn?"  
  
"It was soon after my birthday, which is July 23rd."  
  
"Let me think. What happened around that time?" she thought, as she took a sip of her butterbeer. "We were having the war at that time. I think Voldemort might have been losing by then... because... That's it!"  
  
"What? What is it?"  
  
"What happened during the time of when you got that scar! I remember: the other side was losing badly for many reasons. There was one reason, though, why the other side was losing. Lord Voldemort was getting very weak, and I remember he collapsed around the time you fainted. He didn't wake up for 4 days as well!"  
  
Harry was shocked. Voldemort had fainted and woke up exactly like he had! "Professor Dumbledore told me that when Lord Voldemort gave me that scar, he put a little bit of himself in me."  
  
"Wow, I never knew that! So you're saying that some of the things Lord Voldemort feels, or felt, or maybe even feels at this situation, you feel? And the talents he has....you have?"  
  
"Yes, exactly! That's why they say that I would have been good in Slytherin, and that's why I'm a Parselmouth! You know I'm a Parselmouth, right?"  
  
"Of course I do!"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Tell me about the next time your scar burned."  
  
"It was when I was visiting Remus for a while. It was a couple of days before the school year started. It was near breakfast, and I had this horrible pain in my scar, which was for about 10 minutes. It burned more than it ever burned before, and I'll never forget that at the last second of that pain, I felt like someone slashed my neck."  
  
"A couple of days before the school year started? Of course! We destroyed Voldemort that time! What was the next time it happened?"  
  
"At your birthday ball, when everything was shaking."  
  
"That's easy! Voldemort's followers, and maybe even Voldemort himself, attacked the ball. I'm still mad about that. It could have been perfect, but they ruined it!"   
  
Joy looked like she was going to cry buckets at that moment.  
  
"Don't worry, Joy. It wasn't your fault. Besides, it was a great party."  
  
"Really? Thank you! Now," she said, getting back their conversation, "the next time."  
  
"The next time? Oh, it was when we were in the Forbidden Forest, when Hermione and I were listening to the conversation of those dark figures."  
  
"That's simple to understand! Lord Voldemort was that very strange figure who was taking part in that conversation. At least, you and Hermione think it's Voldemort, but I guess your scar proves it. What was the next time you had a burning scar?"  
  
"At the duel, when I won. Glory was giving me an awful look, and I got a throbbing pain in my head."  
  
"Uhm... I have no clue about that one. We'll get back to that. Next?"  
  
"When it seemed that Malfoy was revealing his plan about Glory."  
  
"Let me think.... I guess because Malfoy is Voldemort's new accomplice, and.... maybe not that. Or maybe it burned because he revealed his and Voldemort's plan. It probably has something to do with that. Are there any others?"  
  
"No, I don't think so."  
  
"Okay, now let's focus on the time after the duel. What was happening?"  
  
"The duel had just ended, and Lee Jordan had announced the winner. Glory got down to her knees and was looking terribly sad. Then she suddenly had this look of absolute rage on her face, and she looked at me with that horrible expression. Then I got the pain."  
  
"All right. How does everything, concerning Voldemort that's going on, has to do with Glory?"  
  
"Malfoy is planning Lord Voldemort's return with the help of Glory's powers, and that Malfoy will be ruler with Glory."  
  
"Yuck, I don't like the sound of that!"  
  
"Glory may be the backbone to this whole entire scheme. Without her, or without her immense powers, they couldn't work out their plan-"  
  
"Of course! At the end of the match, Glory lost. It almost seemed as if she was losing her strength. This could have wrecked all of Malfoy and Voldemort's plans! So what you felt was Voldemort and Malfoy thinking that their plans might not be able to be executed!"  
  
"How did Voldemort know about this? How could I've gotten the burn in my forehead, which usually has something to do with Voldemort, if Voldemort didn't know about it? He couldn't have known it that quickly."  
  
"He may have more power than I thought. He could have used some telepathic abilities. You know, like the crystal ball?"  
  
"Yes," said Harry, remembering when he had to learn about them in Divinations.   
  
"Very powerful people can see what's going on somewhere else through crystal balls. Voldemort's a very powerful person. He could have done that."  
  
A chill went down Harry's spine when he heard this. He never liked hearing how powerful Voldemort was, or is. Even so, he was scared stiff that Voldemort could be that powerful one more time, when Harry had thought he was gone for good.  
  
"This seems very serious, Harry," said Joy. "Maybe we should tell this to Glory."  
  
"Why would she want to know? We think Malfoy's using her. Would she believe us?"  
  
"True, very true, but we don't have to tell Glory about anything concerning Malfoy. We should just tell her about Voldemort. We can tell her about those two times during the summer and the attack during the ball. That wonderful ball, which was ruined!"  
  
"Will you stop moping about that? It wasn't your fault! No one knew what was going to happen!"  
  
"Probably Draco and Lucius Malfoy knew. Well, we should go now."  
  
They both stood up from their sofas. Harry looked down at the table in the middle of the couches where the butterbeer and party mix was; almost all the food and drink was gone.  
  
"Sofia?" called out Joy.  
  
"Yesa?" said the little creature, peaking out of the door.  
  
"Can you bring the bowl and the drinks back to the kitchen?"  
  
"Of coursa!" said Sofia, as she took everything away and went back into the door.  
  
Harry and Joy went to the door. This time, it was a lot easier to open the entrances (all she had to do was open the doors!). Once they were out of those entrances,  
  
Harry heard all the doors shut themselves tightly, and off they went through the common room and into the halls.  
  
"Where is Glory, anyway?" asked Harry.  
  
"She's in the Great Hall," stated Joy.   
  
They rushed to the Great Hall, thinking up what they would say to Glory. Once they were there, they opened the doors. Harry saw wonderful things on all the tables; there were cakes, cookies, sweets, chips, pretzels, fritos, cheetos, and any other king of sweets and goodies you could imagine. Harry had some of the sweets before, but he suddenly wanted to continue eating. While Joy was trying to look for Glory, Harry went to the Gryffindor table and stuffed himself with food.   
  
"Harry, I think I see her! Harry?" she said, as she looked at Harry devouring sweets like a pig. "What are you doing? We just ate a snack!"  
  
"They're so good!" whined Harry, who was just finishing a chocolate frog.  
  
"Come on, I found Glory," she said, as she pulled Harry to where Glory had been spotted. Harry was a bit angry that he was taken away from his delicious food. "You see, I've spotted Glory near the Slytherin table over there, unfortunately. Here she is. Glory, I- My goodness!"  
  
Joy stopped talking, and walking, as she saw her sister, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and a few other Slytherins laughing and socializing. They were all taking part in playing with a despicable creature (well, 'despicable' considering Harry's history with it), which was obvious to Harry that Malfoy would take in liking it sooner or later.  
  
"Glory!" shouted Joy, with disappointment. "What are you doing with that snake?"  
  
Yes, in fact it was a snake they were playing with. Each one of them took turns holding the snake, teasing it and having fun with it. It was very long and green, the exact same shade of green as the Slytherin green, and two purple and yellow stripes going down its back. Its tongue hissed and slithered, as it looked with innocent yet evil tiny, black eyes.  
  
"What, you don't like snakes?" questioned Glory, patting the snake on its small head.  
  
"Not really, but are you sure you should be teasing a snake like that? It's quite big, and it looks dangerous. It could strike at any minute!"  
  
"No, it won't," interrupted Malfoy, with an evil smirk. "It's very tame."  
  
"How would you know that it's tame? No one knows what's going inside its mind!"  
  
"I should know it's tamed. I'm its owner!"  
  
"Besides, I think it's a bit cute, and I'm starting to develop an interest in snakes,"  
  
said Glory, looking at it with adoring eyes. "They're very interesting creatures you know.  
  
Of course, it could never compare to my black unicorns and my dear Tsarina. But still, it seems like a good pet."  
  
"You're nuts!" said Harry, shaking his head. "You're all nuts! I can't believe you would hang around with a snake!"  
  
"You're so mean!" said Glory. "Just because it's not fluffy and cute like your Hedwig, doesn't mean its bad."  
  
"Even so, I still don't want you hanging around snakes!"  
  
"You can't tell me what to do, Joy and Harry," said Glory. "Why can't you go back to the Gryffindor table and eat your treats?"  
  
"That's because I didn't come here to eat those treats!" said Harry.  
  
"So what you're saying, is that you came all the way down here to bug me and criticize the animals I'm interested in?"  
  
"No! It's just," explained Joy, "Harry and I need to speak to you."  
  
"Can't you tell me later? It's my free time right now. Besides, I want to hang around PG a bit longer."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"PG. That's the name Malfoy gave it. He named it after me. You know, Princess Glory, PG. I'm actually very flattered by it."  
  
"But I really want to tell you something!"  
  
"Not now, Joy! Can't you see I'm busy?"  
  
"Never mind!"  
  
Joy got red in the face and stomped off, pulling Harry with her.   
  
"It was a bad idea to come down here," said Joy angrily.  
  
"Can I at least get some stuff to eat?"  
  
"We just ate!"  
  
"Oh come on! Please?"  
  
"Here!" she said, giving Harry a basket of sweets which she pulled off the Gryffindor table. "You can eat these."  
  
"All right," he said agreeingly, looking happily at the basket.  
  
*****  
  
Harry and Joy told Ron and Hermione what had happened about Glory and the Slytherins playing with the snake, and about what Harry and Joy discussed about the scar. Ron didn't see anything about the Slytherins playing with a snake from the Gryffindor table (he was too focused on the sweets, although later he did see that a basket of treats was missing). They really knew now that Glory was under Voldemort and Malfoy's spell. She seemed as if she was getting more like a Slytherin by the minute.  
  
The next day, they noticed something peculiar. Glory, who was usually extremely powerful and strong, didn't have the strength she usually did. Harry observed that throughout the whole entire time he saw her, she seemed tired, and wasn't up to doing too much.   
  
During the classes Harry had with the Ravenclaws, he noticed that Glory didn't do as 100% perfect as she usually did. Glory, who on most occasions got to class early, or at least was always more than on time, was late for Charms. Professor Flitwick excused Glory's lateness, knowing how busy she was. As well in Charms, they practiced the Self-Levitating spell, which enabled one to levitate (of course). Glory regularly did perfectly on the first try, and she should have done excellent on the spell since she already knew it. But today, it took her 5 times to get it right. In Divinations, the class was practicing on receiving a prediction from a month in advance. Strangely, Glory couldn't predict as well as she frequently did. In Potions, she even made the potion wrong.   
  
Harry thought this as extremely strange. Harry told the other three about it, and they noticed it too.  
  
"I know what you mean," said Ron, watching Glory as she screwed up her potion, putting in too much sting-weed.   
  
"I know. She's never like this!" agreed Joy. "She's always so aware of her surroundings, and she's always done good in her classes."  
  
"I don't have a clue what's wrong with Glory," said Hermione. "How could she be acting like this?"  
  
"I have no idea," sighed Harry.  
  
"Oh, why does this have to happen to my poor sister?"  
  
Glory might not have been doing well in her classes as she always did, but Malfoy on the other hand, was doing better in his classes as he usually did. He tranfigured Crabbe and Goyle into turtles wonderfully in Transfiguration, he answered all the questions Professor Luigi asked and did great demonstrations in Defense Against the Dark Arts.   
  
Harry and his friends, as they thought deeply about the situation, were confused about Malfoy's change of performance in class too. Was Malfoy just improving in his school work and was working hard and Glory was starting to slack off? Or was something more happening?  
  
After he had finished his classes for the day, Harry caught up with Cho who was walking with her friends in the hall.  
  
"Hi, Cho!" he said when he greeted his girlfriend with rosy cheeks.  
  
"Hello, Harry! How's it going?" she asked with a cheery smile.  
  
"Great. Do you want to do something this evening? A walk around the halls, relaxing in the library, maybe even a visit to Hagrid?"  
  
"Sure! What about we browse the hallways of the school, and maybe we can both go to the library? A friend recommended a great book that she read, and I'd really like to take it out."  
  
"Absolutely. Where can I meet you?"  
  
"We can meet each other near the statue of 5-year-old Princess Joy. You know, that one when she's carrying those roses in her hands and a lily in her hair, 6 hallways from the Ravenclaw common room?"  
  
"Of course. When do you want me to meet you?"  
  
"7 o'clock, maybe? I'll probably be finished all my homework by then."  
  
"Me too. I'll meet you then."  
  
"See you then too. Bye, Harry!"  
  
"Bye, Cho!"  
  
As Harry said goodbye, he watched Cho walk away with her friends until her and her clique were gone. Harry then caught up with his friends as they went to the Gryffindor common room, where he finished up his homework very quickly.   
  
After they had dinner at the Great Hall, Harry hurried back to his dormitory to get himself ready for their little date. He combed his hair (which didn't do much), put on some of his new cologne, put on his fancy watch from Christmas and straightened up his robes. He probably checked himself over about 20 times before he was satisfied with the way he looked. He glanced at the corner of his eye to see Seamus Finnigan (who had come in while Harry was getting ready) looking through an album.  
  
"What are you looking at?" asked Harry.  
  
"Nothing!" said Seamus as he hid the album behind his back.  
  
"Is that one of my albums?!" shouted Harry as he rushed to Seamus. He tried to take the album out of Seamus' hands. "Because if it's one of mine, I'll-"  
  
Harry ripped the album out of Seamus' hands and took a look at it. Thankfully, it wasn't one of his. This album was a large, thick blue album, and in silver letters it said: "School Memories". Harry flipped through the pages, as he saw moments during all their years there. He saw a picture when Seamus was being sorted by the Sorting Hat, him and his friends (including Harry) at the dueling club, pictures of Hogsmeade, Quidditch games, and more. Each year was divided into sections. He flipped to a different section, which the first page said in silver letters: "6th Year of Hogwarts." It showed pictures of their first day of the 6th year, the Quidditch and duel matches, the Princesses' birthday, etc. Surprisingly in this section, there were many pictures involving Glory.   
  
"How'd you get all these pictures?" asked Harry. "I barely see you with a camera."  
  
"I do have a camera, except that I take them when no one is looking.   
  
It's not as if you've never seen me with a camera, have you?"  
  
"I might have seen you with a camera a few times, when you took a picture of all of us."  
  
"See? Besides, since our 2nd year I've been getting a lot of my pictures from Colin Creevey."  
  
"You get pictures from him?"  
  
"Oh yeah! We're always making deals each week. He makes a bunch of doubles for me, I'll tell a story about you, he gives me a great photo of us and our friends, I give him a bunch of chocolate frogs...."  
  
"Wait, you tell him stuff about me so you can get photos?" questioned Harry.  
  
"It's not what you think, Harry! The kid loves you. Sometimes he'll only give some photos if I tell him something about you."  
  
"It doesn't seem that bad," said Harry, as he gave Seamus back his album. "I've noticed that there are a lot of pictures of Princess Glory from this year."  
  
"So?" shrugged Seamus as he clutched the album close to him.  
  
"You know you'll never have a chance with her."  
  
"A guy can dream, can't he?"  
  
"But they're foolish dreams. It's better to get over her now."  
  
"I don't want to! Plus, you always dreamed about yourself with Cho, and I know you did. I could tell it whenever you looked at Cho those few years."  
  
"You knew?"  
  
"Wasn't it obvious?"  
  
"But that was different!"  
  
"How? She was with Cedric Diggory, and I could tell you still liked her!"  
  
Harry had no choice but to admit that that was true. He remembered how jealous he was when the late Cedric Diggory, the former Hufflepuff seeker, was dating Cho. Even so, he got to know Cedric very well, and was mortified when he was killed by Lord Voldemort during the TriWizard Tournament.  
  
"I know," admitted Harry, "but it wasn't as if I hated Cedric. She wasn't dating him for too long, because he..."  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean. That Cedric... Poor guy. But you still liked her! And what if you both break up? Will you still be clinging onto those same feelings?"  
  
"I don't know. We might never even break up!"  
  
"Fine, be that way. Just leave me alone with my dream love-life, and I'll leave you alone with yours."  
  
Harry turned away from Seamus and looked at the clock in the room; it was almost 7 o'clock. He checked himself once again in the mirror and headed out the dorm and out the common room. He walked through the hallways, looking for the place Cho told him about. Then finally, 6 hallways away from the Ravenclaw common room, he saw the statue.   
  
It was a bronze statue of Princess Joy when she was 5 years old. The statue was made with roses in its hands and a lily in its curly, shoulder-length hair, just like Cho had told him. The statue had an adorable smile, and she was wearing a very cute little dress. He thought he might have seen a picture when Joy looked like that on their web site which he saw at Hogsmeade last time.   
  
Harry looked down at his watch to check the time; 6:55, which meant he was 5 minutes early. He waited for Cho for a few minutes. After a while, he checked his watch again; it was 7:03. Cho was late. She's probably coming, thought Harry, but Cho still hadn't come a few minutes after that. He was wondering what was taking Cho so long.   
  
"Excuse me, but who are you waiting for?" asked a little voice.  
  
"Who was that?" questioned Harry, looking around.  
  
"It's me!"   
  
The statue of Joy near Harry caught his eye, and as he stared at the statue, he found out it was the statue who had spoken to him. He had forgotten that some of the statues of the Princesses around the school could come to life, just like the paintings and pictures. The sweet, little statue of the 5-year-old curtsied to him with the same smile.  
  
"Who are you waiting for, Harry?" asked the statue in a sweet, innocent voice.  
  
"I'm waiting for Cho, who's my date. She was supposed to meet here a few minutes ago."  
  
"I hope she comes soon. We wouldn't want you to stay out here all night!" she said, laying her hands with flowers on her hips in an adorable way.  
  
"I wouldn't want that to happen either."  
  
"How long have you both been dating each other?" asked the little magic statue, as she sat down on the edge of the elevated platform she was on, swinging her bronze legs.  
  
"Our first date was at Hogsmeade. That was in late September, and now it's late January. So that's about... 4 months."  
  
"Wow! That's pretty long, I guess. Ron has probably dated me, or probably best said, the current, real Princess Joy for that long too, right?"  
  
"I suppose so."  
  
"So... Have you read any good books lately?" asked the little bronze Joy, trying to continue the conversation, still swinging her legs.  
  
"Not really. Just books for school subjects, but I have been reading that dueling manual Glory gave me. It helped me win the duel, although it didn't seem too great for Glory."  
  
"Ignore that. She's always been so rough when it comes to games. Why, I remember when we were 3 years old. She was so mean when we played hop scotch! I won one game, and she pushed me over! I got a bad scrape from that," she said, pouting.  
  
"That wasn't very nice of Glory. I know this seems a bit odd to ask, you being a statue and all, but have you read any good books lately too?"  
  
"Nope, not really. I've seen a lot of students pass by with pretty interesting books. I do remember when I was this age when my daddy read me stories of "Cinderella", "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves", and a whole lot of other fairytales. I even read some fairytales on my own, and I also read Pollyanna and Heidi all by myself!"  
  
"Wow, those are big books for a 5-year-old!"  
  
"I know, but you should have seen the books Glory was reading! She read all the Lord of the Rings books, a lot of law and history books, and War and Peace!"  
  
"My goodness!"  
  
"I know. I don't know why she spent most of her time reading those big books. She could have been eating ice cream and playing with her dollies during all that time!"  
  
"You know, you are just such an adorable, little girl. I think you're the cutest statue I've ever met!" said Harry, considering he hadn't 'met' many statues.  
  
"You think? Do you think others will think I'm cute too?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
"Even Muggles?"  
  
"I think so."  
  
"Because I haven't met many Muggles, although the few I've met seem pretty nice. Would you think they'd think I'm cute if they saw me?"  
  
"In human form they would, but if they saw a statue like you talking like that, they would all freak out no matter what. They'd probably bring you to a lab and start studying you. I'm not trying to scare you, you know."  
  
"It's okay. I thought they would do that anyway. Muggles these days are so nosy! All I am is a bronze statue with magic! They wouldn't find anything. It's not as if they're going to find a circulatory system or nervous system like most living creatures have. The heart pumps the blood through arteries to give the nutrients to all the parts of the body, and the used blood goes back to the heart through the veins. And the nervous system starts with the brain, which sends messages to the parts of the body through the spinal cord to all the nerves-"  
  
"You know a lot for your age!"  
  
"You learn more than a thing or two when you live with someone like Glory!"  
  
Harry giggled, watching the little Joy smile after making the funny joke. The small statue of 5-year-old Joy really captured the essence, characteristics and personality of the modern-day Joy in a younger version. Being with the statue made him see how great a person Joy was, strange as it sounded. He wondered how a 5-year-old Hermione, Ron or Glory would be like. Or even worse, how Malfoy would be like! He would have probably been a little, spoiled brat at that age (of course, he still was one).  
  
"You know, I-"  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
A sharp, high-pitched loud scream shot through all the corridors, which shocked Harry to the bone, and scared the little statue too. It was a too-familiar voice which had sent a giant chill down Harry's spine.  
  
"Oh my goodness! It sounds like Cho!"  
  
"Save her!" squealed the little bronze statue. "She could be in danger!"   
  
Harry immediately rushed to where the sound of the scream was coming from, almost feeling like crying to think what could have happened to Cho. He looked this way and that way, up and down corridors, until he reached a small corridor about 3 hallways from the Ravenclaw common room.   
  
The little hallway was dark and gloomy, and in the trace of its darkness, he could see a small, dark figure lay on the floor, twisted here and there. Harry slowly approached the figure, absolutely frightened what it was. As he went close to it, he heard wheezing, a very weak and scared-sounding breath. He could barely see anything, so he decided to light up his wand.  
  
"Lumos!" he said, as a ball of light at the tip of his wand lit up the whole small corridor. But that moment, he wished he hadn't cast that spell, and that he had not seen the horrific sight he saw that night.  
  
"OH NO!!!! CHO!!!!!!"  
  
Indeed it was Cho, who was lying sprawled on the cold floor. She was extremely skinny, and she was all blue from a lack of a great amount of blood. She looked wrinkled and pruned, and her face was in total terror.  
  
"Harry....." she wheezed. She tried to hold Harry's hand, but she was too weak.  
  
"What happened?!?! Why are you like this?!?! Who did this?!?"  
  
"I... It... "  
  
Chop fainted, laying absolutely still on the marble floor. Harry tried to find her pulse, and listened to her heartbeat. It was still beating, but only just. As long as she's still alive, he thought. He had no idea whatsoever of what could have caused this. It looked as if something, someone, had sucked the life out of her, even all the blood and fat out of her. She looked almost like a prune, and this wasn't at all a laughing matter to make fun of.   
  
Harry pounded his fists on the floor, with tears pouring out of his eyes. He wished none of this had happened, not at all. He wished he could have looked for her before, and that they could be on their date instead of him now crying right beside the barely-alive Cho.   
  
But nothing could be done. He cried and cried and cried, not knowing was else to do. His girlfriend had been sucked dry, by some evil person. When he was trying to dry his eyes, he spotted some substance around him. He slowly and lightly touched the substance and examined it; they were ashes.   
  
"Why would there be ashes here?" muttered Harry to himself, looking at the ashes in his hands, but it didn't matter. He forgot about the discovery and kept on crying, until he heard a voice.  
  
"Harry?"   
  
Harry turned around to see Joy, Hermione and Ron, looking quite puzzled.   
  
"Harry, what's wro- Oh my goodness!" shouted Joy, holding her hands in front of her mouth in shock, as she stared at Cho. "What happened?"  
  
"I don't know," sobbed Harry, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I found her like this. I wish I knew who did this. And then I'd....."  
  
"There was nothing you could do, Harry," sighed Ron.   
  
"We should tell a teacher about this," suggested Hermione. "We need help with this."  
  
"Is something the matter here? OH DEAR!"  
  
It was Professor McGonagoll who had come into the corridor, looking as shocked as the rest (well, not as shocked and as sad as Harry). She was followed by a few other teachers.  
  
"What has happened here?" questioned Professor Sprout in horror.  
  
"We don't know," sighed Hermione. "When we passed by here, we saw Harry with Cho Chang, on the floor."  
  
"Do you know what happened, Harry?" asked Professor Luigi, looking very concerned, and seeing that the event had hurt Harry and not just Cho.  
  
"No, I just found her here after she screamed," uttered Harry, as he put on a straight face and stopped weeping. "She was trying to tell me something, but she fainted before she could tell me. She's alive though."  
  
"Hermione, please report to Professor Dumbledore about this," ordered Professor McGonagoll. "We need his presence immediately!"   
  
"Yes, ma'am."   
  
"Harry, tell us exactly what happened."  
  
"Well..." he said, trying to clear up his voice from the sobbing. He slowly stood up, realizing it would be a bit silly to sit on the floor in front of teachers.   
  
"I was waiting for Cho for our date," explained Harry. "She was supposed to meet me near the bronze statue of Joy, 6 corridors from the Ravenclaw common room. I waited for her a long time. She was supposed to have come a lot more minutes earlier. "Then I heard a very loud scream. I knew it was Cho's, so I rushed everywhere to find her. I saw a strange figure near the floor, but I couldn't recognize it. When I lit up my wand, I found her lying there, gasping and wheezing. I asked her about what happened and who did that to her, and she was going to tell me, but then she fainted. I checked her pulse and it turns out she was still alive, but hardly. Then I started to...   
  
"After a while, Joy, Hermione and Ron came and found me here. You and the other teachers came soon after."  
  
"Now 'I' am here, Harry, and it seems it's a good thing I'm here indeed!"  
  
It was Professor Dumbledore who had spoken after Harry, and who was walking through the crowd of teachers to Harry. He looked deeply horrified at the sight of Cho Chang in that manner.   
  
Many other students came around the area, and were shocked once they found out what happened. Older students tried to block the younger students' views so they wouldn't be able to see the terrible site.   
  
Dumbledore ordered Madame Pomfrey to come with a stretcher so they could carry Cho to the Hospital Wing. Professors made all the students back away from the incident, although all the students wanted to know more about what happened. The curious students huddled around Harry, asking him loads and loads of questions, but Harry just shooed them away.   
  
As Harry tried to walk a bit further from the small corridor where the scene had taken place and where everyone was being backed away from, he came across Malfoy and his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, who were smirking at the incident as if it was funny.  
  
"Potter, I heard you were crying your heart out when you found out about Chang," chuckled Malfoy in a cruel expression. "I never knew you could cry like that. I suppose Mr. Hogwarts Celebrity has a sensitive side. It will no doubt be all over The Daily Prophet and Teen Witch Magazine, won't it?"  
  
"Just stop it, Malfoy," grumbled Harry. "Just stop it! This is not something to be joking about."  
  
"That doesn't mean you should become a cry-baby pouring buckets of tears everywhere. I'm surprised Cho didn't drown from the ocean of tears after being sucked up dry like a prune!"  
  
"Say another word, Malfoy, and I'll-"  
  
"What's this? What happening?" questioned Glory, who had just appeared to the scene of the event. She gasped in horror as Madame Pomfrey (with the help of some older students and teachers) lifted Cho up and brought her to the Hospital Wing. "Why didn't anyone tell me about this?"  
  
"It was best if you didn't see it," said Joy, approaching Glory. "It's horrible, just horrible, and no one knows what happened. By the looks of things, I'm not too sure if anyone is brave enough to hear what happened anyway."  
  
"Maybe if I had come here earlier I could have figured it out. Headmaster," she said as she turned to Professor Dumbledore, "I suggest we have an emergency staff meeting about this."  
  
"Good idea, Glory," said Dumbledore. "Professors, staff and Princesses, follow me into the staff room. May all Prefects and Head Boys and Girls lead their houses to the dormitories."  
  
Harry was about to leave with all the Gryffindors to the common room, but Professor Luigi stopped him.  
  
"Sorry, Harry, for stopping you from bringing your house to the dorms," said Professor Luigi, "but I just wanted to remind you, that if you want to tell someone your feelings and thoughts, you can always tell me. I'm always here to help, you know that."  
  
"Of course, Professor Luigi."  
  
"I'm glad you know that."  
  
Professor Luigi hurried to the staff room, while Harry followed the Gryffindors to the common room. While they were in the hallway where Harry was waiting for Cho, the bronze statue whispered to him.  
  
"Harry, over here!"  
  
Harry noticed it was the Joy statue calling him, and he soon went over. The little statue was moping and pouting, and Harry could tell she was very sad, even though she was just made of bronze.  
  
"I found out what happened," said the little statue. "I'm so sorry. I would cry, but I'd just end up rusting."  
  
"I know," groaned Harry. "I'm sorry too."  
  
"Here," she said, pulling out one of her bronze roses, separating it from the bouquet, and handed it to Harry. "This just might make you feel a teensy weensy bit better. And this too."   
  
The little statue gave Harry a little kiss on the forehead. It felt very cold (the statue being metal and it being January and all), but it made Harry feel a bit warmer inside.  
  
"Thank you. You know, you're not just the cutest statue I've ever met. You're also the sweetest."  
  
The little statue smiled. Harry tucked the rose into one of the pockets in his robe and went back to the Gryffindors. Once everyone was settled in for the night, Harry went to bed. When Harry entered the room, Seamus got out of bed to speak to him.  
  
"Harry, I'm sorry about what I said before."  
  
"It's okay. I forgive you."  
  
"I hope she gets better, and that they find out who did it."  
  
"I do too."  
  
"And Harry?"  
  
"Yes, Seamus?"  
  
"I do think you and Cho will stay together forever. No one can separate you, not even an awful incident like this."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
After their little conversation, Harry put on his pajamas and got into bed. He didn't sleep at all that night. He wept silent tears all through the night, thinking about what had happened. He hoped everything would turn out okay, and everything would be all right.  
  
*****  
  
Cho's attack was all that Harry thought about that week. He wasn't paying too much attention in class, and he didn't care about most things around him either. In a month after repair on the Quidditch field was done, they would be continuing Quidditch. It would be Ravenclaw against Hufflepuff for the first game, although most people doubted Cho would be able to play for that game. They'd lose without Cho as seeker, thought Harry, still sulking and mourning.  
  
Of course, the Hogwarts school days to come were very strange as well. The next day after the attack, Glory had become a lot more stronger and better than the previous day in her classes. However, the fact was that the day before she seemed very distracted, weak, tired and not too great at her classes, and the next day, she had a lot of energy, not at all distracted, extremely strong and was the same A+ student she always was, was quite confusing. What was also strange was that she became even stronger than usual!   
  
"It's strange about what's happening with Glory," remarked Ron. "One day she's tired, the next day she's better than ever!"  
  
"I'm confused too, Ron," agreed Joy. "Something doesn't sound right. What do you think, Hermione?"  
  
"I have no idea what to say," said Hermione. "Maybe we can find out what's going on while we're at the library."  
  
"That sounds good. How about you, Harry?"  
  
When Joy spoke to him, Harry didn't say anything back. He was too wrapped up in his self-pity to talk to any of his friends.  
  
"He's probably too sad to answer that," suggested Joy. "Harry, is there anything you want to say to us?"  
  
Harry was still silent. All that day, he didn't really answer any of their questions. Maybe little things like "yes" and "no", but otherwise he didn't talk to anybody. It wasn't very easy on his friends for him not to speak to them. They wanted to speak to Harry, and they wanted to ask him so many questions about the other night. It was only after classes were done when he finally spoke.   
  
"Harry?" asked Joy, in a shy voice. "Is there anything at all you would like to tell us? You know, if you talked to us about this, we could find out what happened. Please, Harry, tell us what happened, and what you're thinking. It might make you feel better."  
  
"Fine," sighed Harry, thinking where he should begin. "As you all know, I had a date with Cho at 7 o'clock. I went a bit early, so I waited. As I waited, I looked at my watch, and found out she was a few minutes late."  
  
"Was anybody else there?" asked Hermione. "Did you talk to them?"  
  
"No one else was there, at least no one alive. I was talking to that bronze statue of Joy when she was 5-years-old. She kept me company."  
  
"She did?" said Hermione. "That's nice. What did you think of her?"  
  
"She was adorable. You were a cute kid when you were 5 years old, Joy."  
  
"Thank you," said Joy with a shy smile. "How long did you both talk?"  
  
"We talked until I heard Cho's scream. I knew it was Cho automatically. I rushed through the halls, trying to find where she was, until I came to a very small hallway. I saw a figure on the floor, but it was too dark for me to know what it was. I lit up my wand, and there I saw her; Cho, lying on the floor, sucked dry.   
  
"It scared me stiff. She was gasping, with a horrified looked on her face. She tried to grab my hand, but she was too weak. I asked her what had happened. She tried to tell me something, but she fainted before she could tell me. I checked her pulse, and she was still alive. After that, I cried my heart out. Then you and everyone else came to the scene."  
  
"How do you feel now, Harry?" asked Ron. "What's making you feel so sad?"  
  
"I'm sad, very sad. I'm frightened too, and worried for her safety. And lonely, I'm very lonely too. It's just the fact that... that she suffered that experience. The sight of her made me want to cry. Why did someone had to do something like that to her? She was always so kind, she never did anything bad to anyone else! To see her in that state... "I wish I had went looking for her before. I could have found out what happened, and who did that to her. I could have protected her from it! I don't think I would go on if something very bad came of this. And to think if it was worse..."  
  
Small and silent tears of great sadness trickled out of Harry's eyes. He wasn't pouring buckets, but everyone could see he was in great sorrow.   
  
"Is there anything that happened after?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Professor Luigi talked to me. He told me that if I had anything that I wanted to tell, I could always tell him. Afterwards, I followed all the Gryffindors back to the dorms. While we were passing by the hallway that I waited in, the little bronze statue called me. She told me how sad she was and how sorry she was about the incident. Then she gave me one of her bronze flowers from her bouquet, and a little kiss on my forehead. Actually, I still have the rose in my pocket."  
  
Harry pulled out the little, bronze rose that he had put in his pocket after the statue had given it to him, which he had completely forgotten to take out. He examined the little bronze rose, holding it in his hands. A sense of warmth grew inside him, which overcame the coldness and sorrow he felt. He smiled, and looked up at his friends.  
  
"That was very sweet of her!" said Ron, looking at the bronze rose.  
  
"Yeah, it was."  
  
"Harry, did you see anything strange happen during the incident?" asked Hermione.   
  
He thought back to what happened, seeing if there was anything that didn't fit in the picture during that time. The attack was already strange enough, but was there anything abnormal that he saw? Then suddenly, he remembered the ashes he found on the floor.   
  
"Ah yes! There were ashes near the scene of the crime. Not a lot, just a bit on the floor."  
  
"That seems odd," remarked Joy. "Why would there be ashes there?"  
  
"Seems strange to me," agreed Hermione. "Why don't we check out that corridor? Maybe the ashes are still there!"  
  
"Let's hope they still are!" said Ron, as everyone got up and went to the scene of the crime.   
  
Harry put back the rose in his robe pocket and headed with the others. They rushed through all the halls, trying to find the exact corridor the attack occurred. Harry felt a bit sorrowful inside, remembering what happened that horrible night.   
  
They finally came across the little hallway where Cho had been attacked. Harry was very uncomfortable in this place. They all looked around, when Ron spotted a little bunch of ashes on the floor, which was in what almost looked like a swirl. There was not a trace of ashes anywhere else, which seemed very odd.  
  
"Where do you think this could have come from?" pondered Ron, touching some of the ashes.  
  
"I have no idea," said Harry. "Maybe we can look around a bit more, to see if there's any more traces of this stuff."  
  
"I guess we can," said Joy. "It wouldn't hurt, although I haven't seen any more ashes so far. If we look around, we might find some more clues."  
  
They looked around the surrounding hallways, trying to find another piece to the strange puzzle. They looked left and right and up and down all the hallways. When they thought that there was no more looking to do, they bumped into three familiar people.  
  
"Watch where you're going, Potter!" said Malfoy, brushing off his robes with his hand.   
  
"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" questioned Harry.  
  
"I was going to visit Glory, that's all. I was going to meet her in front of the entrance to their common room."  
  
"You know, you shouldn't be waiting around for people these days, concerning what happened."  
  
"What, about Cho's attack? Come on! As long as I've got Glory on my side, I've got nothing to worry about!"  
  
Goyle and Crabbe chuckled at the remark, though that statement was true. According to all their theories, about Voldemort and Malfoy conquering over the world with Glory's power, it would be very unlikely for Glory to get hurt. Considering Malfoy was thought to be in the plan, he wouldn't be hurt either. But did the attack have something to do with Voldemort and the other things, or was the attack a separate mystery?  
  
"So Malfoy, aren't you just excited for Quidditch season to continue?" questioned Harry. "No wait, I forgot; the Slytherin team is disqualified!"  
  
Now it was Ron, Hermione, and Joy's turn to chuckle at Harry's remark. Harry was actually quite happy the Slytherin team was disqualified, after trying to attack him during the game.  
  
"Quit it, Potter! After all these attacks and shocking incidents, I wouldn't be too sure to go back on that field. You never know, maybe something will happen there too!"  
  
"Malfoy, something already has happened. It burned up! Whoever's doing this is going to do something to the Quidditch field again! They probably have a lot of security around there anyway."  
  
"There used to be, but now they don't. They stopped security around there 2 weeks ago. In fact, I went to visit the field yesterday. They fixed some of the stalls and everything, but the other bleachers, the scoreboard and hoops are still in very bad shape. Plus, there's loads and loads of dust and ashes underneath the snow. There's very slow repair for that field. If my father was in charge, he'd get it finished in less than a month!"  
  
"But the field's been very badly damaged, and Professor Dumbledore and the others have been very, very busy."  
  
"Suit yourself. Come on Crabbe and Goyle, Glory and her friends are waiting for us."  
  
The three Slytherins left Harry and his friends and went to the Ravenclaw common room. There was something suspicious about Malfoy, and Harry could tell."I never liked that Mafloy guy, I absolutely hate him!" said Joy. "He should be expelled."  
  
"Unfortunately, there's not enough proof or reason to get him expelled," sighed Hermione. "Do you have any idea what could have caused the ashes?"  
  
Harry though about what Malfoy said, and suddenly an idea came to him.  
  
"I've got it!" he shouted with a bright smile on his face.  
  
"What is it?" asked Ron.  
  
"The ashes! Malfoy said he had visited the Quidditch field yesterday. He probably had ashes on his shoes. He could have been the one who did this, and he must have left some of the ashes that were on his shoes."  
  
"Wouldn't there be more ashes around the hallway if he had ashes on his shoes?" asked Ron.  
  
"I've got one way to find out. Let's go to the Quidditch field."  
  
So Harry, Ron, Hermione and Joy rushed to the Quidditch field, while their new ideas were still fresh in their minds. They rapidly snuck into the field, making sure the coast was clear. Once they had finally arrived t here, they looked around the place, noticing what bad condition the Quidditch field was under.   
  
There was a lot more improvement though. A couple of hoops were replaced, and three quarters of the bleachers were all repaired, but the rest was all burnt, black and most of it was melted as if it was made of plastic. There wasn't any ashes on the ground, except for around the hoops. The rest of the ashes were under the snow.   
  
"Doesn't it seem weird to be back here?" asked Joy.  
  
"Yes, it does," agreed Harry. "I wonder how Malfoy got those ashes on his shoe. There's so much snow that you can't get to the layer of ashes underneath the snow."  
  
"Maybe Malfoy stepped in those few areas where the ashes are exposed," suggested Hermione. "We can go look near the hoops."  
  
"All right, but if I get ashes on my shoes, I won't be happy!" whined Ron.  
  
With this idea, they all approached the hoops closest to them, with one of the three hoops bending all the way to the ground. There was a small ring of not-snow-covered ground filled with ashes and dust. The small ring wasn't very thick, but a bit thicker than the length of a shoe.   
  
They looked and observed all three hoops on their side of the field. At the third ash-ring they saw, they noticed some kind of print in the ground. Harry bent down to take a closer look .  
  
"It's a print," stated Harry. "A shoe print! This must be Malfoy's. It was him who attacked Cho! That's it, I'm going to get him- "  
  
"Harry, relax!" said Hermione. "This might not be his shoe. We should check what kind of shoe it is, and see if it's the type of shoe Malfoy wears. Does anybody here know how to identify a shoe print?"  
  
"I do! I do!" exclaimed Joy. "I know so much about shoes you won't believe it. Let me see the print." She bent down and studied the print, looking at it from different angles. "Okay, I know exactly what shoe this is! It's a dress shoe all right, one of those nice expensive ones... size 7 in men... from the Calvin Smitz collection... obviously a black shoe. Does Malfoy wear any kind of shoe like that?"  
  
"He's obviously not a big guy, so I guess he could be a size 7 in men," said Harry.  
  
"Haha, Malfoy's got tiny feet!" cheered Ron. "I've got 9 1/2!"   
  
"Don't be so ridiculous, Ron!" scolded Joy. "Even as much as I hate Malfoy, you don't make fun of others shoe sizes. Besides, having size 9 1/2 only means you have big feet!"  
  
Ron frowned when he heard the remark. While he was pouting, Harry, Hermione and Joy were thinking about the shoe print.   
  
"He obviously wears an expensive kind of shoe," said Joy. "It's obvious he's rich, he boasts about it non-stop."  
  
"I always see him with black dress shoes," said Hermione. "I never see him with running shoes."  
  
"Then that settles it!" announced Harry. "This is obviously his shoe print. Let's get out of here before anyone sees us."  
  
"Good idea, Harry," said Ron. "We can go back to the castle and- Oh no!" Ron's foot slipped into the ash ring and got covered with ashes, which made him very angry. "Great! Just great! I've got ash-shoes now! My mother will be so angry at me!"   
  
"Stop whining, Ron!" scolded Joy again. "I've got a shoe kit that will get those ashes right off your shoe. Can we please go back to the castle?"  
  
They all hurried to the castle, trying not to let anyone notice that they went to the Quidditch field. Ron was trying to hide his shoe full on ashes, but no one paid attention to him anyway. They four students noticed that no ashes whatsoever were smudged or even went on the floor. Every single particle of ash was stuck to Ron's shoe, and he wasn't happy about it at all.   
  
They finally went into the common room, where surprisingly there was nobody there.   
  
"This seems a bit strange," said Harry. "No one's here."  
  
"Did they call an emergency assembly or something?" enquired Joy.   
  
A few 5th year Gryffindor boys came down the dormitory and were heading to the common room exit, when Harry asked them something.  
  
"Excuse me, can we ask you something?" asked Harry.  
  
"What is it, Harry Potter?" asked one of the boys.  
  
"Is there an emergency assembly today? Where is everybody?"  
  
"Most people are in the library," answered the other 5th year. "Professor Luigi is giving extra help for his classes, and he's telling everyone about all his adventures! We're going to the library too. Extra help for his classes are every Thursday from 4 o'clock to 5 o'clock, and his story telling is from 7 o'clock to 8 o'clock."  
  
"It sounds great!"  
  
"Are you coming, Harry?"  
  
"No, I'm staying here with my friends."  
  
"All right! Oh, and people are signing up for Professor Luigi's Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. Club, which is in about 3 weeks. It's going to be every Saturday. Are you going to join?"  
  
"Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. Club?" questioned Hermione. "It sounds interesting. What is it?"  
  
"It's a club Professor Luigi's founding which involves lessons and tips on things that are not in the Defence Against the Dark Arts curriculum, and that Aurors usually deal with. They talk about the Dark Arts around the world, defense tips, Auror work, and a bunch of other cool stuff. It's only for the N.E.W.T. students."  
  
"Wow, sounds great. We might join!"  
  
The 5th years scurried out of the common room which left Harry, Joy, Hermione and Ron all by themselves.  
  
"That sounds great, a Defense Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. Club," said Ron. "I wonder what things they'll do."  
  
"Actually, Professor Luigi and his brother Professor Mario had a Defense Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. Club at my other school as well!" said Joy. "I couldn't go, but I heard it was great!"  
  
"What things did they do?" asked Hermione.  
  
"A lot of things! There was this one time when they were talking about vampires and their stereotypes. Then they talked about all these techniques how to fight vampires, and then they got to practice fighting vampires with a hologram. I heard it was very realistic, but it didn't hurt you.   
  
"Last year, they talked a lot about Voldemort. They tried to discuss the ways they could stop him, but no matter how many times they tried to figure something out, it didn't work. I wonder why my sister and I didn't bring up the idea to Professor Luigi that we could get an army after him. Anyway, they showed the N.E.W.T. students a lot of tips on being an Auror and how to defend yourself against someone like You-Know-Who."  
  
"That seems so great!" said Hermione. "A club like that could be really handy concerning what's going on. I guess we should start talking about Malfoy."  
  
"You're right," agreed Joy. "I'll get my shoe kit and get that stuff off Ron's shoe."  
  
"All right," said Hermione. "First of all, we noticed in the hallways that nothing came off Ron's shoe. That probably explains why there wasn't any trace of ashes anywhere else."  
  
"Then how did that pile get off his shoe in that little corridor?" questioned Harry.  
  
"Good point, Harry. Ron, can you take off your shoe to show us?"  
  
"I kind of don't want to touch this shoe," said Ron. "It's very sticky and disgusting. Is it okay if I just lift up my foot and show you?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
Ron lifted up the bottom of his shoe and showed Harry and Hermione the ashes stuck on it. It sure seemed as if it was completely stuck there.   
  
"It resembles a lot like tar," said Hermione. "Do you think this might be a different kind of ash?"  
  
"I don't know," sighed Harry. "It could be, but then how could it be a different kind of ash? If we found out how it was caused, we could find out why it's like that."  
  
"Maybe it's because of the cold weather and wet snow," suggested Ron, "which makes everything stick together."  
  
"It could be," said Hermione. "I could go look in the library about fires with Joy tomorrow. Because Joy gets special permission to check out books from the restricted section, she can get books for us and we can research on this."  
  
"Cool."  
  
"Okay, I've got the shoe kit!" called out Joy, coming out of the girls' dorm.  
  
"Youppi!"   
  
Ron twirled around and rushed to Joy. Harry looked down from where Ron was at first, and noticed the most remarkable thing. There was a bundle of ashes on the floor in a spiral shape, just like the one they saw in the corridor!   
  
"Joy! Ron! Hermione! Look at this!"  
  
Harry's friends all huddled around Harry as he showed them all the print Ron made.   
  
"Oh no!" grunted Ron. "Professor McGonagoll's going to be so mad at me when she finds out I ruined the floor!"  
  
"True, but look at this," pointed out Harry. "It looks so similar to the bundle of ashes in the small corridor!"  
  
"How did Ron do that?" asked Joy.  
  
"He twirled around and rushed to Joy."  
  
"We should make sure about this," suggested Joy. "Ron, I know you don't want to get in trouble, but can you twirl and dash one more time? Don't worry, I know a perfect spell to get it out."  
  
"Fine."  
  
Ron shrugged and went to one spot in the room. He twirled around and dashed very quickly, then stopped to see if he made that mark. What he had done had made another mark of ashes!  
  
"Now we know what happened for Malfoy to make those marks! Once Cho screamed, he probably knew someone would come and see what was happening, so he twirled around and dashed into the other direction. It's that simple!"  
  
"Great, but after solving some mysteries, I start to get hungry," said Ron. "I think supper at the Great Hall is ready."  
  
"Ron, we have to clean up this mess, and your shoes!" said Joy.  
  
"Fine. Joy and I can stay here and clean everything up. You others can go to the Great Hall. Will this be long, Joy?"  
  
"Oh no, not at all!"  
  
Harry and Hermione went to the Great Hall where they were serving a delicious supper (lasagna, steak, corn, ribs, plates of cheese, peas, French bread, Greek salad and pastries. My, does that menu sound good!). About 12 minutes later, Ron and Joy came down, Ron having two clean shoes again.   
  
Harry finished his supper quickly, and once he was done, he went to the Hospital Wing to visit Cho. When he got to the door of the Infirmary, he knocked on the door shyly three times.  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
"It's Harry Potter, Madame Pomfrey."  
  
"Come in, Harry! Come in!"  
  
Harry opened the door to see Madame Pomfrey trying to feed Cho some soup and mashed-up food in her hospital bed. There was a green-purple-blue liquid in a bag connected to a cord which went into Cho's skin (just like those packages of blood they give at the hospital to patients who have lost a lot of blood). Cho still looked awful and dried up, but she was improving.   
  
"Eat, Cho," pleaded Madame Pomfrey. "Eat! It's hard for her to eat, Harry, her being so exhausted and all. She was in a coma before, but an hour ago she woke up. I don't think she's very alert though. You can try to speak to her, Harry."  
  
Harry walked over to the hospital bed and sat on the edge of Cho's bed, looking at her tired, tense face.  
  
"Cho?" whispered Harry to her.  
  
"Harry...." she murmured, wheezing while she said it. "I'm so....glad.....to see...you."  
  
"I'm glad to see you too."  
  
Cho gave Harry a small, soft smile, which was all she could do, as weak as she was. Madame Pomfrey tried to feed her food, and Cho swallowed it all very slowly.  
  
"Will she be all right?"  
  
"Yes, she will be okay, thank heavens, although we don't know if the memory of this will scar her for life. There's a chance that she hasn't remembered a thing. I guess we'll never know what happened to her."  
  
Harry tried to agree, hiding the fact that him and his friends had found some pieces to the mystery. He looked at the package with the strange liquid, wondering what it was.  
  
"Madame Pomfrey, what is the substance in that package?"  
  
"This," said Madame Pomfrey, pointing to the bag, "is Timplewimp Paste. Haven't you been studying the Timplewimp in Herbology, Harry?"  
  
"Yes, we have. We planted some a few days ago."  
  
"Anyway, the Timplewimp makes the paste which can cure what Cho has."  
  
"Wait a minute. The Timplewimp is for those who have lost blood, fat and magic, right? It's obvious that she's lost blood and fat, but has she lost her magic?"  
  
"Half of it, Harry! Scary, isn't it? If whatever happened to her had gone on for about a minute longer or so, she could have lost all her magic, and if it went on for two minutes more, she probably would have been a goner."  
  
"She could have died?!"  
  
"Oh yes, Harry! This is very serious, what she has."  
  
"How long is she going to stay here in the Hospital Wing?"  
  
"A very long time, about a month or more. You can only take the medicine of the Timplewimp half a litre every three days maximum. For usual cases, they just have to give them a little needle of this stuff, but her attack was very bad, that we have to give her a lot of the paste."  
  
"A month! That's a long time. She'll probably not be able to play for the next Quidditch game. Oh my goodness! She'll still be in here for Valentine's Day! That's a shame."  
  
"Don't worry, Harry. A month will go by very quickly. Besides, you can visit her as much as you want."  
  
"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey. I'd better leave now. Bye, Cho."  
  
"Bye.....Harry....."  
  
Harry got up and left the Hospital Wing, glaring back at poor Cho. He was very worried about her, and was very disappointed that their Valentine's Day would be ruined. He rushed back to the common room, where he told his friends all about his visit to the Hospital Wing, and they discussed their new findings about Malfoy, the ashes and the attack.  
  
*****  
  
"Joy, I can't believe all the useful books you can find in the restricted section! There's The Attacks of the Dark Arts, The Loss of Magic, The Top 100 Dark Arts Enemies to the Magic Community, and look at this one! It's called The Encyclopedia of Worst Case Scenarios of Evil. This is pretty scary stuff!"  
  
Hermione was having a field day as she looked through the gigantic pile of books that Joy had picked out from the restricted section in the library. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Joy were in Joy's study (which was decorated in a metal and simple -styled decor, that was very chique) researching to find clues of the strange things that were happening at Hogwarts.   
  
The four of them split up topics to research so that everyone was assigned different topics to look up in the pile of books Joy got out from the library. Harry had to look through books about fires and ashes, which wasn't as exciting as the topics the others got to look for. At the moment, Harry was looking at a book called The History of Great Fires, which he didn't seem to find any good information in.   
  
He placed the book aside, and rummaged through the stacks of books to find another one concerning fires and ashes. He spotted a very intriguing one, called The Mystery of Fire and Ash: A Look at Various Kinds of Fires, the Types of Ashes from Them and the Spells to Create Them. He picked up the large, red book and flipped through the pages, looking at all the illustrations of the many kinds of fires: gigantic, green-coloured fires, oil fires, smoke fires, and so forth. He reluctantly read every single type of fire, but passed to the next one if the descriptions didn't match up to their situation. After he had gone through 23 types of fires, their ashes and how they were created, he found one kind of fire called The Slick Fire. Harry read the context to himself, thinking that this fire might be the one they were looking for:  
  
  
  
The Slick Fire, scientifically called Firius Slico-Collantus, is a very dangerous fire, which can spread very quickly and silently, burning up 3 yards of land in 1 minute. It is because of its quick movement and silence that gave it the name, 'The Slick Fire'. Its characteristics are caused by the extreme stickiness of the fire. The adhesiveness of the flames of this fire are almost like a runny, flaming tar, which melts most objects into gluey-like liquids.   
  
Because of this, the ashes of the Slick Fire are very sticky and black. If stepped in, the ashes cling onto the shoe and don't come off, unless the front of the shoe is put into large amounts of friction (usually being rapid dash movements and spinning). Removal of this kind of ash can also take place when it is rubbed by a chemical called ocknus-diodium, which is found in many shoe cleaning kits.   
  
  
  
"Joy! Ron! Hermione! Come quick!" called out Harry. "I think I've found the fire that burnt up the Quidditch field!"  
  
All three of his friends dropped their books and rushed to Harry's side with excitement. The three of them skimmed through the text, nodding at each other in agreement that this was the one, the fire that burnt down the field.   
  
"This fits all the characteristics!" said Ron. "It tells about how silent and quick the fire is. Remember, Harry, in Divinations? We didn't hear a thing, and it was as if it came up out of nowhere! By the time the class found out about it, the whole entire field was consumed in flames."  
  
"Exactly!" agreed Joy. "The part of how sticky the ashes are, and how to get it off perfectly fits the ashes in the field. It's the right one, there's no doubt about it."  
  
"Harry," said Hermione, "can you read the next paragraphs on how the Slick Fire is formed?"  
  
"Sure. Here it is:  
  
"The Slick Fire usually occurs when a charm is cast with extreme rage, hate, disappointment and jealousy. It takes a very powerful person to make this charm, or at least someone who has experience in the highest of Dark Arts. If someone inexperienced and not-so-powerful creates the spell, it will blow up in their face and have much more gruesome consequences. For more information on the backfiring of this spell and the history of fire-casting backfires, read 'When Fire Spells Go Wrong' by George McGroyge.   
  
"For this charm to be conjured up in the first place, the wand of the conjurer has to be dipped in a potion called 'the Sticky Flame Potion', which lets the spell to work slickly, with stickiness, flamingly and powerfully. To make this potion, see page 345. The potion doesn't stain or ruin the wand when dipped in. Instead, the wand sucks up the potion into its content and is released during the spell. For the instructions to cast this spell, see page 677."  
  
"So whoever conjured the spell was in rage when they were doing it," said Ron.  
  
"Of course," said Hermione. "Was Malfoy in rage at that time?"  
  
"I remember he was really mad about the Slytherin team getting disqualified from Quidditch for the year," said Harry. "He was probably experiencing those feelings at that time."  
  
"That's probably why he burnt down the Quidditch field!" said Joy. "He must have been so angry about what happened concerning Quidditch that he never wanted to see that awful Quidditch pitch again, and to ruin Quidditch for all the other teams!"  
  
"Wonderful theory, Joy," said Hermione. "I guess he put all his anger into the spell which later made him cool off. Remember when Malfoy apologized for everything he'd done?"  
  
"Oh yeah!" remembered Ron. "That was weird when he said that. He probably didn't mean those things, since he's gone back to being the mean guy he always was."  
  
"Maybe he really meant it that time, but once Glory started becoming a bully, he took it up again too," suggested Hermione.  
  
"Or maybe he just said that because he had gotten all of his hate out of him," implied Harry. "It says about who is capable of the curse. They state here that 'it takes a very powerful person to make this charm, or at least someone who has experience in the highest of Dark Arts'. Is Malfoy a very powerful person?"  
  
"No!" laughed Ron. "Now he's starting to get pretty good in school and pretty strong, but otherwise he isn't. The only thing powerful about him would be his bank account at Gringotts."  
  
"Is he someone who has experience in the highest of Dark Arts?"  
  
"No..... Wait! Of course he is!" shouted Hermione. "He's plotting and scheming with Voldemort, isn't he? Voldemort practically 'is' the highest of Dark Arts. He and Malfoy have done a lot of the Dark Arts. That's probably why he was able to do such a powerful spell."  
  
"That settles one part of the problem," said Harry. "What about your topics? Did you three find anything?"  
  
"No, I couldn't find any attacks of this kind," said Hermione.  
  
"I couldn't find any spell which could have done that specific attack," said Ron.  
  
"Sorry, but I couldn't find any other information about anything that would have to do with the attack."  
  
"Too bad," sighed Harry. "I would just like to know how could Malfoy have that much power to do that to Cho. Was he with Voldemort at the time? It just seems so weird....."  
  
At that moment, Joy's eyes became wide and everyone could tell that she had that look when one just figured something out or when one finally remembered something. Once she saw that everyone was looking her, she tried to hide that look.  
  
"Did you remember something that could help up with this?" asked Ron.  
  
"Uh.... Ah..... No...... No not at all."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"No..... Maybe......."  
  
"Come on, Joy!" shouted Hermione. "Tell us what you remember!"  
  
"All right, all right. I remember reading and hearing a lot about it of the powers of a Wizard King or Queen. I remember reading that if someone is extremely powerful, more powerful than the average person like them, that person can give some of their power and magic to another person."  
  
"What?!?!" shouted Harry, Ron and Hermione in unison.  
  
"Yes, its true! Sometimes a Magic Monarch can transfer some of their power to another person. For example, if there was a general going to fight a very important war, the King or Queen at that time could give some of their power to the general so they could fight the war. It's usually supposed to wear off after a week or so. Sometimes even a month!"  
  
"You mean, Glory could have transferred some of her magic to Malfoy, and he could have used it to attack Cho?" asked Harry.  
  
"Perhaps, but Glory wouldn't give magic to Malfoy like that. She even vowed to tell me that she would never give out any of her magic, unless it was for very, very, very, very, very, very, very extreme purposes. It would have to be someone who really deserved it or needed it, someone who could handle it."  
  
"Maybe..... Malfoy hypnotized her?" pondered Hermione.  
  
"How could Malfoy hypnotize Glory?" questioned Ron.   
  
"Wasn't a hypnotist kidnapped early in the year?" enquired Harry. "Maybe Voldemort and Malfoy have him captive, and Malfoy used the hypnotist to hypnotize Glory."  
  
"That would work," said Hermione.  
  
"Oh yeah!" remembered Ron. "Do you remember how weak Glory was that day, the day when Cho was attacked? She probably had given Malfoy her powers. Wasn't Malfoy really strong that day too?"  
  
"It's true, he was," said Hermione, "but I don't think him being better in classes has to do with Glory giving him power. I see him every day in the library with Glory, working very hard."  
  
"She's right," agreed Joy. "My sister will not date anyone who isn't smart or is slacking off in class. Even so, I already know she's always helping Malfoy with his homework and tutoring others. But wait! I also forgot to tell you that after a Magic King or Queen gives some of their power to someone, they get super-strong the next day. Wasn't Glory very strong the day after?"  
  
"She was," said Harry. "We should try to get some more evidence about this."  
  
"Maybe another time," said Joy. "I think we researched enough. Care to help me put these books away?"  
  
"Sure!" said all of them, as they helped Joy stack up the books and lay them on a shelf in the corner of the room.  
  
*****  
  
"Cho? Cho? Are you awake?"   
  
Harry was in the Hospital Wing, sitting on a stool right next to Cho, who was resting in her hospital bed. She was still very skinny and blue from a lack of blood and fat, but there was a great improvement. It had been almost a week since she had been attacked, and Madame Pomfrey had taken care of her very well since then. Harry was calling Cho gently, to see if she was awake. Cho opened her eyes slowly, and then became alert.  
  
"Harry, I'm so glad to see you," she said in a tired voice. She still hadn't regained all of her strength, not even half of it, so she was still exhausted.  
  
"How's it been in the Hospital Wing?"  
  
"It's been fine. Madame Pomfrey's very nice. She takes care of me very well."  
  
"I know exactly what you mean," said Harry, recalling all the times he was in the Hospital Wing from a Quidditch game or from defeating You-Know-Who at the end of the year.   
  
"What has happened while I was here?"  
  
"Nothing big, although Professor Luigi has started a program for students who need some extra help with their Defense Against the Dark Arts work and he tells stories of his great adventures. He's also starting a Defense Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. Club in a few weeks."  
  
"Oh no! I probably won't be able to be out of here by then."  
  
"I know, I would have really liked it if you'd join. I think there might be something else.... Ah yes! There's going to be a Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff Quidditch game in about a month."  
  
"I won't be able to play!"  
  
"I know. The Ravenclaws probably won't win without you. You're a great seeker."  
  
"Thanks for the compliment. Is there anything else?"  
  
"No, there isn't. Uhm...... Cho?"  
  
"Yes, Harry?"  
  
"Do you remember anything about the attack?"  
  
"No, sorry I don't. All I remember is walking out of the common room entrance to meet you. Oh, I forget to tell you that I was sorry that I was late for our date, Harry. My homework took me longer than I expected and I was trying to find my other earring after misplacing it. To continue, after that all I saw was blur. The next thing I remembered is waking up in the hospital."  
  
"So, you didn't see anyone?"  
  
"No, not at all."  
  
"And you don't remember anything else in particular?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Do you remember what you were trying to tell me when I caught up to you? You were trying to tell me something, but you fainted before you could say it."  
  
"Sorry, I don't remember trying to tell you anything."  
  
"Oh. I better let you rest. Bye, Cho."  
  
"Bye... Harry."  
  
Harry left the room, keeping an eye on Cho as he exited to room. He remembered that his friends were still researching on clues to the attack, and he thought that they might want some help. Everyone was at the library doing homework and listening to the adventures of Professor Luigi, so the common room would be empty.   
  
Harry gave the password to the Pink Lady ("fish and chips with extra hot sauce", a very strange password which all the Gryffindors thought abnormal) and entered, seeing immediately that a great abundance of books was spread around the room. His friends were all sitting with their legs crossed on the floor, going through tons and tons of books.   
  
"Joy, I think you checked out the whole entire restricted section from the library," remarked Harry, being careful not to trip over any of the books.  
  
"No, unfortunately I couldn't," sighed Joy. "Plus, I borrowed a bunch of Glory's books and I took out some of mine. Don't worry, I'm going to bring all the library books back in a couple of days."  
  
"When you 'borrowed' Glory's books," said Ron, "do you mean that you actually asked Glory if you could use some of her books?"  
  
"Yes, I did ask Glory for the books! She just didn't say I could take them."  
  
At that moment while they were talking, Glory was looking through her shelves of books in her rooms, and noticed a gigantic section of her books were gone. She looked around her rooms to see if she had misplaced them. After knowing she had failed to find them, she turned around and remembered when Joy had asked for those books. Glory clutched her hand into a fist, and her face burned with rage.  
  
"JOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed, filling the whole entire castle with her screech.  
  
Back at the Gryffindor common room, they were looking through their books and they heard the high-pitched scream.  
  
"Uh oh," gulped Joy. "I think Glory knows I took her books. We should really hurry up with these books."  
  
"What are you all looking for?" asked Harry.  
  
"Just some extra information concerning the Cho-Malfoy incident last week," answered Hermione.  
  
"I wish we could just find out what Malfoy is thinking," said Ron. "You know, go into his mind or something. Joy, you're psychic. Why don't you read his mind?"  
  
"Sorry, Ron. I never read people's minds, at least not usually. Sometimes I read minds without even knowing it, but I'm not going to go into people's thoughts. Their thoughts are their personal things."  
  
"Isn't there any other way we can find out what Malfoy's thinking? Maybe we can go into his dream! It could give us some clues."  
  
"I don't think so," said Hermione. "I'm looking through this book called The Wonders and Powers of the Great Magical Monarchy. I'm flipping through the book and there's nothing of the sort. There's mind reading....future telling.... super strength....... dream peaking...... Dream peaking! Oh my goodness, Joy can go through other people's dreams!"  
  
"All right!" said Ron, becoming excited.  
  
"I never knew that!" said Joy. "Does this mean I could have bugged my sister by going into her dreams and seeing if she had the crushes that she denied and things like that? I've just lost 16 years of fun! Does Glory know about this? Has she gone into my dreams?"  
  
"I doubt it," said Hermione. "What do you think we should do about our new discovery?"  
  
" I say," said Joy, "that we go into Malfoy's dream and see if we can find some clues."  
  
Author's Note: DUNDUNDAAA!!!!!! I'm sorry, but i love saying DUNDUNDAAAA!!!!!! SO, Glory got P.O.ed that Harry won the duel and now she's going all half Ravenclaw- half Slytherin on everybody, Cho got attacked, they figured out a few things of the mystery, and they might be going dream-peaking (actually, they WILL be). Next chapter's called: Dream Peaking. Basically, they go dream-peaking inside Malfoy's dream. Pretty cool stuff! OH, and here's that disclaimer:  
  
Disclaimer: You know that sucked up dry of fat and blood thing? That was inspired by an episode of Smallville, when this fat girl becomes skinny because of this mysterious drink, but then becomes so hungry and she eats a deer and almost eat people or something.... Anyway, the way the deer and the person (well, she ALMOST did it to the person) looked like kinda inspired me. Oh, and I don't own Smallville. Also, I'm not great at men's shoe sizes, so I'm not sure if 9 1/2 is men is big or if 7 is small, but hey, I did my best. As you can see, I'm also not British, since i wrote 'running shoes' instead of 'trainers'. Yeah, that's all I wanted to say. Oh, and I forgot to say:  
  
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEE REEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVIEWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!! 


	13. Dream Peeking

Chapter 13  
  
Dream-Peeking  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything else that I mentioned in previous disclaimer. If I haven't mentioned something that I don't, well, basically I don't own it. I would also like to apologize (it's kind of hard to say that I "apologize", but you know what I mean) if anyone thought that Princess Glory's comments in the previous chapter were very hurtful and prejudiced, but hey, what can you say? She's turning into Malfoy! She's basically cruel, and that's what a cruel person would say. However, I am sorry if anybody would be shocked or hurt from it.  
  
Author's Note: Hey, people (for the 13th time)! As I'd like to remind you, any recaps are at the end of the chapter. So, what'll happen in THIS chapter? Well isn't it obvious? Harry and his friends are going dream-peeking! That basically means going into people's dreams. And who's dream they'll peek in? Malfoy's, of course!! By the way, I'd like to say thanks to Rhinemjr who has reviewed so many of my chapters (and might I add, those were good reviews). So, if they're reading this: THANK YOU SO MUCH, RHINEMJR!!!! Now on with the chapter....   
  
More than a week before they would go into Malfoy's dream, Ron finally took his via-mobile test. His face was completely white with worry the morning of the day of the test. But at the end of the day, Ron's face was full of colour (especially with red and pink tones). Harry and Hermione were talking a bit about the N.E.W.T. exam while Hermione helped some younger students with their homeowrk, when Ron burst into the Gryffindor common room with a small paper in one of his hands which he was waving up high.  
  
"I passed my via-mobile test!" declared Ron excitedly. "I passed it with flying colours!"   
  
"Ron, try not to make a scene!" said Joy, who was behind Ron and had just entered the Gryffindor common room as well.   
  
"I can't help it!"  
  
"Congratulations, Ron!" said Harry.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Now that you have your license, what are you going to do with your via-mobile?" asked Hermione.  
  
"I'll drive it once in a while around the grounds, watching out for the Forbidden Forest of course. Joy and I will probably take a drive in it on a few of our dates," he said, as he winked at Joy.  
  
"That sounds wonderful!" said Hermione. "By the way, we have to do some more work on going into Malfoy's dream before the actual night we'll do it."  
  
That week, all four of them crammed all the information and research they could find on dream-peeking. Joy returned all the other library books back, and had given back the books which she had 'borrowed' from her sister. Glory wasn't quite a happy sight when she had found out, and when she had found Joy, Glory wasn't at all happy.   
  
It was that Friday that they decided they would go into Malfoy's dream. It was a tricky and complex thing to do, and they hoped greatly that their plan would work. Their plan was to apparate to the Slytherin dormitories (with Joy's power helping, of course) and to sneak into Malfoy's room with the invisibility cloak. Once the coast was clear and they were ready, they would go into Malfoy's dream.   
  
Malfoy wouldn't see them in his dream though. They would be invisible, kind of how Harry was like when Tom Riddle had taken him to the past to see when Hagrid was accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets (see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the whole story). Once they had found enough clues, they would get out of Malfoy's dream and apparate out of the Slytherin dormitories to the Gryffindor dorms.   
  
That Friday, at 11 o'clock when everyone was in bed, Harry, Ron, Joy and Hermione sneaked out of their rooms and met in the common room. Everyone brought their wands just in case they needed them, Joy kept a book of dream-peeking in her BCB in case there was a problem and Harry brought his invisibility cloak. Before going, Joy checked to make sure they were ready.  
  
"Has everyone studied and remembered our plan and all the necessary information about dream-peeking?" Joy half-questioned, half-whispered, remembering there were students sleeping.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Yep."  
  
"I memorized everything."  
  
"Has everyone brought their wands?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Sure have."  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
"Harry, do you have your invisibility cloak?"  
  
"Sure do," said Harry, holding up the silky cloak that had belonged to his father.  
  
"Does everyone remember the rules and precautions we discussed to make sure this plan would not be uncovered and we would all be safe?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Sure do."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Harry, do also have the Maurader's Map?"  
  
"I sure do," said Harry, patting it in his pocket.  
  
"And I have the book on dream-peeking if we need help. We're ready to leave now." Joy sighed in relief after knowing that they were all ready for their little 'expedition'. "I want all of you to come around me."  
  
All three crept around Joy, carrying their things and trying not to make a single sound.  
  
"Now what?" whispered Ron.  
  
"I'll tell you what happens next. I want you all to hold onto my hands, all right?" They all gripped one of Joy's hands, wondering what would happen next. "Harry, put the Invisibility Cloak over us." Harry, still holding one of Joy's hands, lifted the cloak onto everyone, and once the silvery sheet covered them, they became invisible. "On the count of three, we're going to apparate, all right? Be ready for it. My apparating is a bit different from other wizards and witches. For mine, a wave of water splashes over us and I disappear. Don't worry, you won't get wet or anything. Is everyone ready?" They all nodded their heads, a bit anxious to see what would happen. "Remember, it's on the count of three. One......two......three!"  
  
Joy shut her eyes and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, they could feel a gigantic wave of water leaping over Harry's cloak. They felt as if they were under an umbrella. Then, the ground started to turn round and round, and then stopped after a few seconds.  
  
"Are we there?" whispered Harry.  
  
"Peer under the Invisibility Cloak and check," responded Joy.  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione and even Joy peeked under the cloak, and was amazed to see that they were in the Slytherin common room. Hermione, nor Joy had ever laid eyes on the Slytherin common room, although Harry and Ron had. They remembered the time in their 2nd year when Hermione had concocted a Polyjuice Potion so they could turn into Slytherins, go into their common room and talk to Malfoy to see if he was the heir of Slytherin. Harry and Ron had successfully turned into Crabbe and Goyle, but unfortunately Hermione hadn't. She had turned herself into a feline-looking girl, and had to go to the Hospital Wing.  
  
The Slytherin common room had looked almost exactly as Harry and Ron remembered it. There was still carved chairs and a detailed, carved mantelpiece above an illuminating fireplace. Its ceiling and walls of stone, still had green, glowing lamps were hung from the ceiling. Just as before, they breathed in the damp, cold air because the Slytherin common room was in the dungeons.   
  
Even with these same details, there were some things that were quite different. In the common room, there were wonderful, modern, green-leather couches in the middle of the room. There was even a marble fountain, which had a small, stone statue of a replica of the Hogwarts castle in the middle, and there were now busts of Salazar Slytherin around the room. But one thing they noticed most of all, was a large picture of Princess Glory above the mantelpiece.   
  
"So they have a picture of Glory hanging above the fireplace, but none of me!" whispered Joy angrily.  
  
"The truth is, Joy," said Ron, "I wouldn't really want my picture hanging in the Slytherin common room. Would you want yours' to be?"  
  
"No, not really."  
  
"Come on," said Harry, "let's go up to the boys' dormitory before anyone wakes up."  
  
"Boys' dormitory?" gasped Joy in shock. "Hermione and I can't go in there! It's a boys' dormitory! It's basically the boys' bedrooms! I'm sorry, we have to go back."  
  
"Joy, don't be ridiculous," said Ron. "We've been in your rooms loads of times."  
  
"Ron," spoke Hermione, "we went in her 'rooms', which doesn't mean bedroom."  
  
"Get over it and let's hurry up before any Slytherin wakes up and finds us!" said Harry.   
  
They all went back under the Invisibility Cloak and crept to the boys' dormitory until they found the door to the room of the 6th-year boy Slytherins. Hermione cast a spell on the door's hinges to not squeak, as they entered the room silently. The whole entire room was pitched black, until Ron did a 'lumos' spell which lit up the room. They tried not to wake anybody.   
  
They spotted the 6-year Slytherin boys sleeping in their four-poster beds. There was Goyle and Crabbe snoring their hearts out, a few other Slytherins tossing and turning in their sleep, and Malfoy sound asleep. The room had a similar theme as the common room. The room had stone walls with a small, green, glowing lamp hung on the ceiling by a chain. Harry even spotted a frame of Glory's picture near Malfoy's bed.  
  
"Now that we're next to Malfoy," said Joy, "we can go into his dream. Does he look sound asleep?"  
  
"Like a log," said Harry, before noticing some drool out of Malfoy's mouth. "Ew! Malfoy drools in his sleep!"  
  
"Finally, something that I can hold against Malfoy!" said Ron.  
  
"Ron, there's no way we can tell anyone about it," said Hermione. "If we tell them that, they'll ask for proof and we don't want anyone finding out about this."  
  
"Fine, but it would have been so much fun!"  
  
"Let's just do this!"  
  
"Will this hurt?" asked Harry.  
  
"No, not really," responded Joy. "You might feel a tingly vibrating and warm feeling in your body, but that's it. Everyone, hold hands."  
  
Everyone held hands while they were still under the Invisibility Cloak. Joy took out her wand and pointed it at Malfoy's head. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the spell that would transport them into his dream. As she did this, they all stood in nervousness.   
  
"Dreamus peeko im dreamus di Draco," spoke Joy, "noi Joy, Hermione, Ron and Harry."  
  
A blinding blue light glowed immensely at the tip of her wand, as she touched Malfoy's forehead with it. Suddenly, they were sucked into a porthole as they went spinning round and round.   
  
  
  
They fell onto a hard floor with a loud thud. When they were safe on the ground, they took off the Invisibility Cloak and looked around. They realized that they were in a large room filled with heaps and heaps and heaps and heaps and heaps of money, gold, jewels, diamonds and antiques.  
  
"Are we at the palace?" asked Joy, looking confused.  
  
"You mean to say that you have a room like this at your palace?" questioned Ron.  
  
"Uh... Maybe..."  
  
"Joy, are you filthy rich or what?!"  
  
"So are we in the palace or what?"  
  
"No, I don't think so," said Hermione. "Hey, there's someone over there. Look!"  
  
As they watched closely, they saw in the middle of the room someone playing in the money. Unfortunately, they couldn't make out who it was.   
  
"We should go see who it is," said Harry.  
  
"All right. Come on," said Joy, "but don't worry about anyone seeing us. Remember: no one can see us or hear us, and we go through things like ghosts."  
  
They slowly walked to the mysterious person playing in the money. By the time they were right behind them, they finally got a good look at the person.  
  
"It's Malfoy!" said Hermione.  
  
"Who else would you expect?" said Harry. "It 'is' his dream."  
  
"He's playing with all his money and treasures! How ruthless!"  
  
"What's so wrong about dreaming about money?" asked Ron. "I always dream of having money every day."   
  
"Oh, don't think that way," said Joy, hugging him. "You're funny and wonderful, that's all that matters. The reason why Malfoy seems so ruthless is because it seems to us that's all he thinks about: his money!"  
  
"It is pretty ruthless if you think about it," said Harry.  
  
"I'm rich, I'm rich!" called out Malfoy. "I'm filthy rich!"  
  
Suddenly, a loud bell rang in the room. It was the school bell, and all four could see the look on Malfoy's face.   
  
"Oh no!" moaned Malfoy. "Not another school day! I'd better go..."  
  
Reluctantly, he walked to the corner of the room, where he grabbed his backpack and headed out the door.   
  
"Wow, Malfoy got up and went to school," said Hermione. "You'd think that if it was his dream, he would have ignored it and kept on playing with his money."  
  
"He's always been a strange kid," said Ron.  
  
The four of them were immediately transported to a hallway where Malfoy was walking with his cronies Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy was wearing lots of jewellery and very fine clothes instead of his Hogwarts uniform. Students were bowing before him as he walked through the hallway.  
  
"Malfoy, you are so wonderful!" said one Hufflepuff girl.   
  
"You are the best Slytherin in the school!" said a Slytherin boy.  
  
"You're the best student in the school, in fact!" said a Ravenclaw girl.   
  
"Yes, I sure am," said Malfoy smiling. "Of course, Princess Glory, who is my wonderful girlfriend, is also very smart."  
  
"Hail, Princess Glory and Malfoy!" chanted all the students in the hallway. "Hail, Glory and Malfoy!"  
  
"The more we see his dream, the more I recognize how disgusting and self-centred he is," remarked Harry.  
  
"Haven't you noticed how they put the name 'Glory' before 'Malfoy'?" asked Hermione. "Looking at his dream so far, you'd think they'd put his name first."  
  
"That's traditional, you see," said Joy. "You can't put anyone else's name before a Magic Monarch's name."  
  
Harry, Hermione, Ron and Joy (by the way, I don't have to put Joy's name before anyone else's in the narration, hahaha... ) walked right through the crowd of students as they followed Malfoy to Transfiguration class . There, all the Slytherins and Gryffindors praised him, which was sickening Harry greatly.  
  
"Malfoy, hail Malfoy!" shouted the class.  
  
"Dear Slytherins and Gryffindors, we are pleased to have the wonderful Mr. Malfoy in our classroom today," declared Professor McGonagoll. "For today's lesson, we shall all cheer and praise Draco Malfoy."  
  
Malfoy put his legs on his desk as the Slytherins and Gryffindors fanned him and fed him as he talked with Crabbe and Goyle. They say a dream-version of Hermione cleaning Malfoy's nails.  
  
"Oh Malfoy, you are so smart, way smarter than me!" said Hermione.  
  
"This is ridiculous!" said the real Hermione. "He will never be smarter than I am!"  
  
Afterwards, a dream-version Ron wearing dirty and torn clothes crawled to Malfoy.  
  
"Oh Malfoy, please help my family and I!" called out Ron. "We are so poor, and we need your help. We don't have anymore money to live!"  
  
"Hmmm... I'll give you a Knut if you polish my shoes."  
  
"Oh thank you, Malfoy! You are so kind!" said Ron as he started polishing Malfoy's shoes right away.  
  
"That is pathetic!" said the real Ron. "I would never polish his shoes, no matter what he'd give me, neither would I do anything for just a Knut."   
  
Just as Ron was finishing up Malfoy's shoes, a dream-version of Princess Joy, who was looking very disappointed, came into the scene.  
  
"My goodness, Malfoy," said the dream-Joy. "This is not very kind to treat your fans like this. They should all deserve a galleon."  
  
"My money is not to be given to other people just because they adore me!" shouted Malfoy. "Be gone, now!"  
  
He snapped his fingers and immediately, the dream-version of Joy disappeared into thin air.  
  
"I can't believe he did that to me!" cried the real Joy. "He's so unfair!"  
  
Finally, a dream-version of Harry walked towards Malfoy and bowed down to him.  
  
"Well, if it isn't the famous Harry Potter," snickered Malfoy.  
  
"Forgive me, Malfoy," said Harry. "I didn't mean to shun you out. You are better than I am and always will be. I deserve your jokes about me. You are the great and famous one, not I. You're even a better seeker than I am!"  
  
"Yes, I know."  
  
"Will you forgive me?"  
  
"I will if you shine my rings," said Malfoy, shoving his other hand (Hermione was still cleaning his fingernails) filled with rings. Harry got out a shining kit and started cleaning them.  
  
"I want to vomit!" said Harry, looking at Malfoy angrily.  
  
"Calm down, Harry!" said Joy. "It's just a dream."  
  
"Can we go now?" asked Ron, looking like he was going to throw up as well.  
  
"We still haven't got any proof that Malfoy is scheming with Voldemort," said Harry. "We need to get some cold, hard evidence to prove that he's guilty, then we can investigate deeper."  
  
The bell rang, and the Slytherins and Gryffindors exited the room, still cheering Malfoy's name. Malfoy got up and exited as well. Harry, Joy, Ron and Hermione followed Malfoy as he separated from Crabbe and Goyle and went through a route of many strange passageways unfamiliar to either four of them. There were many twists and turns, but Malfoy finally got to a large, wooden door and pushed one of the stones around the entrance. The door slowly opened and Malfoy walked in with the four following behind him.   
  
Following Malfoy, they entered an extremely dark room, where they couldn't see anything at all. Suddenly, torches around the room lit up and in front of them, they saw a large, stone room with a giant chair in the middle on a platform. In the chair, sat a dark figure which none of them could recognize. Malfoy bowed to the figure all the way to the floor and stayed kneeling in that position.  
  
"Malfoy, it is good to have a talk with you," said the figure, in a high-pitched, evil voice.  
  
"Yes it is, Master."  
  
"Is their any news about our plans? New events occurring? Anything?"  
  
"No, Master, not in particular. We're still looking into the big plan, but that's it. There hasn't been any big attacks since the attack of Cho Chang."  
  
"Ah, the disloyal one. I remember that. It was a wonderful plan, I must say. Unfortunately, we didn't get enough time to destroy her."  
  
"Yes, Master."  
  
Tears were starting to form in Harry's eyes. So it was true that Malfoy was behind the attack! He couldn't believe that they were thinking of trying to kill her. Harry couldn't bear to think about it any longer.  
  
"Is your father all right with all this?"  
  
"Of course, Master. He was doubting at first, but then he realized it was the best thing. He thought this experience was making me too kind and wimpy."  
  
"Kind and wimpy! How absurd... You've been the most treacherous and evil you've been in your whole life! I can't believe he doubted us. I should have a talk with Lucius."  
  
So it was true that Lucius Malfoy was a part of the scheming too! thought Harry as he listened closely.   
  
"I am so glad to have you along with this scheme," said the shadow. "Just wait until our moment of power and we'll rule the world!"  
  
"You have a wonderful scheme, Master."  
  
"And our other conspirator is progressing well, is he not?"  
  
"He's doing wonderfully, my Master."  
  
"Thank you. Now, are there any threats to our plan?"  
  
"Not really, Master. Everyone has no idea what we're doing, and they're all loyal to the Monarchy. No threats. Well, except for Harry and his gang, especially the other Princess."  
  
"Yes, they are a problem, aren't they? We'll try to get rid of them."  
  
"What about Princess Joy? We can't dispose of her! It's too dangerous."  
  
"Malfoy, do you trust me or not?"  
  
"Of course I trust you, Master!"  
  
"Then have faith in me. You know I will find a way. With all our power, we can defeat her easily. Don't worry, Malfoy. We'll defeat her very slowly."   
  
A large and evil cackle rang out through the room, which sent a sharp chill right down all of their spines.   
  
"One day," spoke the shadow again, "I will rule the world once again!"  
  
Suddenly, they were all transported to a different place. They were outside, in a gigantic crowd in a city square with a large, elevated platform at the far end. Glory and Malfoy were waving to the people on their thrones with crowns on their heads. A dark and evil look was spread across Malfoy's face.   
  
Then, a large, dark cloud appeared above, and was turning the whole entire sky black. A stroke of lightning and booming thunder was seen and heard in the distance, and a large cackle echoed from all corners of the city square....  
  
  
  
...and Harry, Ron, Joy and Hermione were sucked out of Malfoy's dream and back into the Slytherin boys' dormitory. Malfoy was still sleeping soundly, with drool still at the corner of his mouth. They all gave him a look of disgust.  
  
"Now we know for sure that this creep is scheming with You-Know-Who," said Hermione, frowning at Malfoy.  
  
"Who were they talking about when they said 'the other conspirator'?" asked Ron. "Probably Lucius Malfoy," responded Hermione.  
  
"They were talking about Lucius before that, too," mentioned Harry. "They were saying how Lucius Malfoy was doubting about their scheming in the first place, but then he was okay with it. He said that Malfoy was getting wimpy. I don't get that!"  
  
"Neither do I," said Ron. "If taking over the world with Voldemort isn't evil, then I don't know what is!"  
  
"What did they mean when they said they would dispose of Joy?" pondered Hermione.  
  
"I don't know," sighed Joy, looking down at the floor. "Voldemort and Malfoy wouldn't stand a chance against me, but they have Glory on their side. I'm not too sure if I could stand up against Voldemort and Glory. But it's just a dream, right? They might not come after me..."  
  
"I don't know what to say, Joy," said Harry. "I know the majority of the dream isn't true-   
  
"Like when we were all pampering Malfoy in Transfiguration class," interrupted Ron. "Yuck!"  
  
"I don't know how true the rest is, though," said Harry. "All we know for sure right now is that Malfoy and Voldemort are plotting together, and they must be stopped."  
  
"We should go to Professor Dumbledore about this," said Hermione.  
  
"Are you out of your mind?" questioned Joy in a harsh whisper. "He can't know we've been inside Malfoy's dream. We should keep this to ourselves."  
  
"We should go now," suggested Ron. "You never know, Malfoy just might stop drooling and wake up."  
  
"You're right," said Joy. "Let's get out of here. Everyone, get under the Invisibility Cloak and hold hands. We'll be in the Gryffindor common room in no time."  
  
Quickly, they covered themselves with the magical cloak and clutched each other's hands. They closed their eyes and waited for the rush of water to cover them.   
  
"On the count of three," whispered Joy. "One...two....three!"  
  
They were ready to be disapparated to their common room, but alas, they didn't. There was no rushing water swooping over their heads. They peaked under the cloak to see if they were in the common room, but they were still in the dormitory. They all looked at Joy in confusion.  
  
"I have no idea what's wrong," said Joy. "I'll try again. One....two.....three!"  
  
And again, it did not work. They were starting to get a little anxious at that moment. Why couldn't they apparate?  
  
"It still doesn't work! I don't get this!"  
  
"Maybe we should look in the book," said Hermione.   
  
"Good thinking," agreed Joy.  
  
She took out her BCB, pressed some buttons and out beamed the large book. Joy picked it up from the floor and flipped through it. She stopped right in the middle of the book and her jaw dropped, moaning in frustration.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Harry.  
  
"Listen to this!" said Joy, and then she read out loud the text:  
  
  
  
"Caution: After performing magic for dream-peeking, a witch or wizard cannot disapparate/apparate or use any big spells before waiting 5 hours. Dream-peeking requires a lot of magic and will tire out one's powers."  
  
"So you can't disapparate or apparate before waiting 5 hours?" asked Ron.  
  
"Exactly!" cried Joy. "What should we do now?"  
  
"We have no choice other than to sneak out of the common room," said Harry.  
  
Joy put away her book and BCB as they all huddled under the cloak. They crept out of the out of Malfoy's room, down the stairs and into the Slytherin room, making sure that none of their steps were heard. Once they got to the Slytherin common room, they heard footsteps.   
  
"Who's there?" whispered Hermione.  
  
"I don't know," said Harry, "but I'll check."  
  
Harry peaked under the cloak and noticed a Slytherin prefect walking around the room. Why he was there, Harry did not know. All he knew was that the student was making their escape a lot harder.  
  
"It's a Slytherin prefect!" whispered Harry.  
  
"Oh no," said Ron. "What do we do?"  
  
"We just have to keep quiet and try to move slowly to the door. Hopefully, he'll get out of the room and we'll be able to follow him."  
  
"Who's there?" said the prefect, looking around the room suspiciously.  
  
"He heard us!" said Ron.  
  
"Don't talk!" said Harry.  
  
The prefect looked walked around the room some more, and then forgot about it. They all let out a sigh of relief as they waited in anticipation if there would be any chance of the prefect getting out of the room.   
  
Twenty minutes slowly passed and the prefect still didn't leave the room. Harry, Joy, Hermione and Ron were getting pretty anxious.  
  
"I can't take this anymore," said Ron. "We've got to get out of here."  
  
"I've got an idea!" said Harry. "Why don't I make something outside fall, like a vase or something? He'll here it and will want to investigate, so he'll get out of the room."  
  
They all tried to creep quickly to the door, making sure that it wouldn't open, revealing their presence. Once near the door, Harry whispered a charm. Suddenly, a sound of breaking china came from outside in the corridors.  
  
"What that?" said the prefect.   
  
He rushed to the door as it opened automatically and he went into the hallways, examining a broken vase on the floor. Harry and his friends scrammed out of the room and into the hallway, getting away from the scene as quickly and as silently as possible.  
  
They crept quickly through all the hallways until they finally got to the hallway in front of the portrait of the Pink Lady.  
  
"Wait a minute!" said Ron. "How are we going to get in the Gryffindor room? We'll have to tell the password, and the Pink Lady, or Joy's really great-grandma, will know we've been sneaking out."  
  
"Don't worry, Ron!" said Joy. "I'll handle it. Grandma and I have a very good bond between us. She'll understand, she always has."  
  
They took off the Invisibility Cloak, and the Pink Lady, sleeping in her pink nightgown, and was snoring heavily. Harry cleared his throat which woke her up.  
  
"Password!" she said immediately.  
  
"Fish and chips with extra hot sauce," said Joy.  
  
"What were you all doing out here?"  
  
"We had to go to the washroom," said Joy with a wink.   
  
The Pink Lady nodded with a smile as the door opened. They entered the common room with another sigh of relief.  
  
"Finally, we made it!" said Ron loudly.  
  
"SHHHHH!!!! Don't be so loud!" said Hermione. "People are sleeping!"   
  
"How did you get us in without getting us in trouble?" asked Harry.  
  
"Grandma has a way of knowing whatever I'm up to."  
  
"She knows we've been in Malfoy's dream?"  
  
"No, but she knows we've been doing investigation for all these weird things going on and will try and solve them."  
  
"Your whole entire family's mysterious!" said Ron.  
  
"Yes, I know."  
  
"It's 2 o'clock," said Harry looking at his watch. "We should go to bed."  
  
"You're absolute right, Harry," said Joy. "Bye, everyone. I'll see you in a few hours."  
  
"Bye!"  
  
"Bye!"  
  
"Good night!"  
  
Author's Note: Hope you liked that chapter. For recap: Harry and his friends went into Malfoy's dream. They not only found out that he's selfish and rude, but that he truly is scheming with Lord Voldemort to get him back to power with Princess Glory's strength! The next chapter's called: "Going to the Dark Side?" As you know, Glory's getting on 'Slytherin', and she's getting pretty evil too (wait a minute, don't two things mean the same thing?). Anyway, Glory shows a bit more of her dark side and Harry has his first DADA NEWT club meeting. PLEEEEAAAAASSSSEEEEEE REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVVIIIIIEEEEEEEEEWW!!!!!!! 


	14. Going to the Dark Side?

Chapter 14  
  
Going to the Dark Side?  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I also don't own the text I used from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (which I indicated in the chapter). I also don't own the idea of the Venomous Tentacula.  
  
Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Glad you're reading this. This chapter's about Glory "going to the dark side" and the first DADA NEWT meeting. Hope you like it!  
  
"Good morning, students, and welcome to another wonderful day of Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Professor Luigi at the beginning of class. "Today, we are going to be learning about the last species of dragon we'll talk about this year: the Hungarian Horntail. I do believe you've made quite an acquaintance with a Hungarian Horntail a couple of years ago, haven't you, Mr. Potter?"  
  
"Yes, Professor Luigi," admitted Harry.  
  
"Considering you got to know a Hungarian Horntail, Harry, can you tell us what the Hungarian Horntail is?"   
  
"A Hungarian Horntail is...." started Harry as he tried to remember the horrible time when he encountered one, "....a dragon with black scales with yellow, vertical-shaped eyes, with horns, wings and spikes along its back and tail. It can breath fire from 50 feet, and it's an extremely dangerous breed as well. Oh, and its eggs are cement-colour."  
  
"For a moment there, you sounded a lot like Hermione," whispered Ron to Harry. Hermione heard what Ron said and scowled at them angrily.  
  
"Wonderful, Harry. 5 points to Gryffindor. Yes, the Hungarian Horntail is, in fact, a black dragon with a spiked back, can shoot fire from 50 feet, and its eggs are cement-colour as well. We are going to be studying the Hungarian Horntail for about a week and then we'll start studying dementors, which a few of you will remember roamed the school during your 3rd year. And of course, I'm sure Mr. Potter had a very interesting encounter with a few."  
  
"Yes, sir," admitted Harry.  
  
"Class, I would like you all to turn to page 48 of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander. We will read this section out loud. Soon after, I will be giving you a sheet of paper to draw in detail how the Hungarian Horntail looks like and it will be due next class. You will be able to start your illustration during class right after we discuss the reading. Ms. Granger, may you read us the text?"  
  
"Certainly, Professor Luigi!" said Hermione, and then started to read:  
  
  
  
" 'Supposedly the most dangerous of all dragon breeds-"  
  
  
  
"They're not kidding," added Harry. Hermione scowled at him deeply for interrupting her, and Joy shook her head in disapproval. Hermione read from the start:  
  
" 'Supposedly the most dangerous of all dragon breeds, the Hungarian Horntail has black scales and is lizard-like in appearance. It has yellow eyes, bronze horns and similarly coloured spikes that protrude from its long tail. The Horntail has one of the longest fire breathing-ranges (up to fifty feet). Its eggs are cement-coloured and particularly hard-shelled; the young club their way out using their tails, whose spikes are well developed at birth. The Hungarian Horntail feeds on goats, sheep and, whenever possible, humans*.'"  
  
* taken from page 12 of Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling.  
  
"Excellent reading, Ms. Granger!" said Professor Luigi. "After reading how dangerous this breed of dragon is, who can tell me why it's so different from other dragons?"  
  
Many people throughout the classroom raised up their hands, even the Slytherins.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy, how about you?" picked Professor Luigi.  
  
"The Hungarian Horntail is different from other dragons because it is a lot more lizard-like than other dragons," stated Malfoy. "It has horns and spikes, and it has an extremely long fire-breathing range. Their young are quite strong, their spikes being already developed at birth. The reason why it's so dangerous is that it will eat humans if possible."  
  
Harry was quite surprised at Malfoy's response. If Harry didn't know better, he would have thought that it was Hermione speaking. Hermione glared at Malfoy with jealousy, while Ron and Joy were too dumbfounded to say anything.   
  
"I couldn't say it better myself," said Professor Luigi. "7 points to Slytherin."  
  
A large cheer was made between the Slytherins, as the Gryffindors gave a sigh of frustration.   
  
"For more information about the appearance and characteristics of the Hungarian Horntail," continued the professor, "you can check page 150 of The Dragon Manual in Full Detail by Farley Gumkurk. Before starting on your assignment, I'd like to talk a bit about the weaknesses of this type of dragon, which we'll be talking about afterwards.   
  
"The Hungarian Horntail is allergic to the slime produced by the Venoumous   
  
Tentacula, which I have found out that you have studied in Herbology. Does anybody   
  
know how the Venoumous Tentacula slime is used?"  
  
Joy, Hermione and Malfoy's hands shot up.   
  
"Joy, why don't you answer our question?"  
  
"The Hungarian Horntail can be slain with a sword with Venoumous Tentacula slime," responded Joy.  
  
"Wonderful! 2 points to Gryffindor. The sword which is used to slay the dragon has to be a specific sword. What type of sword is it?"  
  
Yet again, Joy, Hermione and Malfoy's hands were risen the second the question was asked.  
  
"Hermione?"  
  
"The type of sword used to slay the Hungarian Horntail is a Mortinal Sword, made with a specific metal called megnacious, which cannot rust, stain nor be ruined from harsh chemicals."  
  
"Magnificent! 13 more points to Gryffindor!"   
  
"You could have used all that information for the TriWizard Tournament, Harry,"   
  
implied Hermione.  
  
However, Harry wasn't paying attention at all. He was starting to think again about Cho and the terrible experience she had. Even if it was a few weeks ago, Harry was still deeply sad about the event.  
  
"Harry, are you all right?" asked Professor Luigi, concerned why Harry was in such a daze and not paying attention.  
  
"Yes, I'm all right," Harry said, finally aware of his surroundings.  
  
"Since you've had your little introduction to the weaknesses of the Hungarian Horntail," spoke Professor Luigi to the class, "you can start your assignment. Oh, I almost forgot: darting at its eyes is a good way to defeat it too."  
  
The class took out their books and started drawing rough sketches of the Hungarian Horntail, as Harry thought deeply about Cho Chang with every stroke of the quill he made on his piece of parchment.  
  
The bell rang, which signified the end of the school day. At the sound of the bell, everyone packed their bags and left for their common rooms.   
  
"Mr. Potter, can you come here for a minute?" asked Professor Luigi as he was erasing the chalk board.  
  
Harry wondered why Professor Luigi wanted him to stay. He sat down near the chair at Professor Luigi's desk as the professor finished erasing the board and sat at his desk.   
  
"Harry," said Professor Luigi, "it seemed during the end of class you were distracted. Is this true?"  
  
"Yes, sir," said Harry, nervous if Professor Luigi would punish him for not paying attention in class.  
  
"Is there any particular reason why you seemed distracted? Are you disturbed by something?"   
  
Harry paused and thought if he should be telling his teacher about his personal problems. Harry knew that Professor Luigi allowed him to talk openly to him if he wanted to express his feelings, but he just didn't feel comfortable talking to him about Cho. He wondered when he would be excused.   
  
"Is it about Cho?" asked Professor Luigi.  
  
Harry looked up and was startled at how he could tell what he was thinking.  
  
"How did you know?" asked Harry.  
  
"It was a lucky guess. I know you feel terrible about a girlfriend or someone you love being injured or experiencing such an awful time. I can understand this perfectly. Do you want me to listen to anything you have to say to make you feel better?"  
  
"It's just..... Why did she have to endure such pain?" said Harry uncontrollably. He couldn't hold his feelings any longer. "She hasn't done anything to anyone. She's the sweetest girl I've ever met! How could anyone do this to her?"   
  
"I'm glad you've told me this. Listen, Harry, the Aurors and I are looking into this deeply and are trying to find the culprit, or culprits. We're thinking that all of this would have to do with the attack of the Princesses' party, and the kidnappings. We're not too sure what your girlfriend has to do with all this. We suspect she knew something that the culprits didn't want her to know."  
  
"Do you know what information she knew?" asked Harry.  
  
"No, not at all," said Professor Luigi. "A colleague and I got an interview with Ms. Chang in the Hospital Wing. Unfortunately, she doesn't know any secret information, nor does she remember anything at all about the incident. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"  
  
"No, Professor Luigi," denied Harry. "There's nothing else."  
  
"Then you may be excused," said Professor Luigi. Harry swung his backpack on his shoulder and was about to leave the room. "Oh, Harry! Are you joining the Defense Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. Club? It's the last day to sign up."  
  
"Yes, yes of course!"  
  
"Great! Can I sign you up?"  
  
"Absolutely! Can you sign up Ron, Hermione and Princess Joy too? Maybe even Cho?"  
  
"Sure. Oh, and by the way, Harry, our first meeting was going to be about the Patronus and a dementor situation in the wizarding world. They're starting to put dementors at street corners and any suspected place where there might be an attack. I had a talk with Remus Lupin a week ago."  
  
"You talked with Remus?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yes," said Professor Luigi. "He's a top Auror, as I remember. He's doing very well. He told me that you knew the Patronus spell. Could you help me demonstrate it to the club, since by that time, the 6th years might not have started it yet?"  
  
"Of course! Did you talk to any other previous Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers from Hogwarts?"  
  
"Actually, Professor Lupin was the only one I could talk to. Professor Quirrell's dead, you can't have a decent conversation with Professor Lockhart, Professor Moody, actually Bart Crouch Jr., has gone to the dementors, and the teacher from your 5th year... My dear, I don't even want to mention her. You may go now, Harry."  
  
Harry smiled and left the classroom. Just when he was exiting the room, Malfoy came in.  
  
"Malfoy, what are you doing here?" asked Harry.  
  
"Malfoy has requested to see me," responded Professor Luigi.   
  
"Oh," said Harry, as he left the classroom.   
  
Harry went to the Gryffindor common room to drop off his stuff, and then met up with his friends in the Great Hall.   
  
"Oy, Harry!" called out Ron, pointing to a seat next to him at the Gryffindor table. Harry sat down quickly as he started putting food on his plate (chicken legs, peas and some salad). "Harry, why didn't you come sooner?"  
  
"Professor Luigi wanted to speak to me," said Harry.   
  
"About what?" questioned Hermione.  
  
"He wanted to know why I was so distracted in class. I wasn't too sure if I should have told him, but he guessed it was about Cho anyway. I told him a bit of how I felt. I kind of feel better now that I've told how I felt."  
  
"Did he say anything else?" asked Joy.   
  
"He said that the Aurors are progressing in finding who did all this. They think that all the kidnappings and attacks are linked together, and that Cho might have known something that they didn't want them to know."  
  
"We already found out the events were linked together a long time ago!" said Hermione. "That's so strange to hear that we're farther in our research than professionals!"  
  
"That's because we've got inside information," said Joy, "and you're pretty much professionals yourself."   
  
"Ah shucks, Joy!" said Harry. "You didn't have to say that. Of course, we also get help from a very powerful and magnificent witch - you!"  
  
"Now you're making me blush!"  
  
"What about what Professor Luigi said of that they think Cho knew some information about all this?" implied Hermione. "Could she have known any info?"  
  
Everyone paused for a minute. Could she have known secret information to what was happening? Harry remembered that Cho didn't say that she knew any secret information when Professor Luigi had an interview with her. Could she have hid the information? Harry couldn't think of this. Cho, his girlfriend, could never do any of that.  
  
"What about when we were dream-peeking?" suggested Joy. "Did Malfoy or that dark shadow say anything concerning Cho?"  
  
"I remember that shadow called Cho 'the disloyal one'," said Harry. "What would they mean by 'disloyal'?"  
  
"Obviously, it means that someone who isn't loyal," said Joy.  
  
"But 'loyal' in what way?"  
  
" 'Loyal' can mean many things, Harry!" said Hermione. "It could mean being faithful to a certain person, being devoted to or supporting a ruler, being trustworthy to a friend-"  
  
"Hold on!" interrupted Ron. "What was the second thing you said, Hermione?"  
  
"About being devoted or supportive to a ruler?"  
  
"Exactly! Didn't Cho and Glory have a huge fight a week before Cho got attacked?"  
  
"Oh yeah!" said Harry. "Glory was being really mean, and I remember how bad she punched Cho. She flew right across the Great Hall!"  
  
"Didn't Cho say how we don't need the monarchy and how she was against that?"  
  
"I recall that incident," said Joy. "I couldn't believe she said that. I was so nice to her, and then she goes off and criticizes my sister and I! However, I suppose she was angry and she wanted to get back at Glory."  
  
"Even so, wouldn't she seem like a threat to Glory? And wasn't Malfoy with Glory when she said that? So when that shadow-dude said 'disloyal', it could mean that she was disloyal to Glory, who is where they get all their power and who is the root of all this scheming!"  
  
"Of course!" said Joy. "They think she's a threat. That's probably exactly why the Ministers for Magic were injured; they were thinking of taking Glory's power away!"  
  
"I still think Cho didn't deserve being hurt like that," said Harry in a sad tone. "She didn't deserve it!"  
  
"Of course she didn't, Harry!" said Joy. "She'll get better, we'll get to the bottom of this, and everything will be all right."  
  
"I sure hope it will."  
  
The four friends discussed deeply that week amongst themselves about the whole entire plot to make Lord Voldemort powerful once again. They also noticed more rude behaviour coming from Princess Glory, and they noticed how 'evil' she was becoming. She acted very much like a snob, looked down on many students and didn't do anything when Malfoy made bad remarks, and she was making half those bad remarks too!   
  
It was four days after they figured out why Cho was attacked when Glory seemed to get extremely out of hand. Harry, Ron, Joy and Hermione were sitting on a bench on the Hogwarts campus discussing classes while Harry looked at the construction wizards repairing the Quidditch field. Not too long and we'll be able to start playing Quidditch, thought Harry, as he dreamt about winning the Quidditch cup that year.   
  
Then unfortunately, Glory, Malfoy and their cronies walked across the campus, pointing and laughing at many of the students. They stopped once they were near the bench where Harry and his friends were sitting. Harry got quite frustrated at this, considering he knew what would happen (let's just say it felt like déjà-vu).  
  
"Here is the famous Harry Potter, Her Royal Highness (*in exaggeration*) Princess Joy, the cheap weasel and the muggle-born," snickered Malfoy. "Wouldn't this moment make a lovely picture on the front cover of Freaks 'R' Us magazine?"  
  
"The only reason you're making fun of Harry is because you're jealous," said Hermione.  
  
"Why would Draco want to be a scarred-face dweeb like Potter?" said Glory, as all of her friends giggled.  
  
"Why are you like this?" questioned Joy as she got up from the bench and walked towards Glory. "You used to be so kind and wonderful, and now you're... you're... dreadfully and maliciously evil!"  
  
"You've got a problem with that? You know, you may think you're kind, but you don't dress that way."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"You dress like you want to get pregnant!"  
  
"I do not!" shouted Joy in a hurt voice.  
  
"Yeah, right...."  
  
A plump tear, followed by very many others, fell down Joy's cheek as those words from Glory were said to her.   
  
"I can't believe you would say something like that to your own sister!" said Hermione as she got off the bench and tried to make Joy feel better.  
  
"Just back off, you disgusting Mudblood!"   
  
"Excuse me?!" gasped Hermione, as she couldn't believe Glory's words, which was the same reaction from Glory's four friends.  
  
"I said, 'Back off, Mudblood,'!"  
  
"I cannot believe you just said that," cried Hermione, then she walked away in the grounds.   
  
Joy followed her Hermione away from the scene, and so did Ron. Glory, Mafoy and even Malfoy's cronies laughed, though Glory's friends were still shocked. Harry, who was left alone to face the wicked group, stepped up to Malfoy and Glory in anger.  
  
"Why do you think you can go up to people and say such bad things?" shouted Harry. "I mean, come on! She's your sister, Glory, and she's a future Queen too! And you should treat her with as much respect as you treat Glory, Malfoy!"  
  
"That's it, we're getting out of here," declared Malfoy.   
  
Malfoy, his cronies and Glory walked away, as Glory's friends walked behind her. Harry, who was curious about Glory's four friends, caught up with the one trailing at the back, who had blonde pigtails, which she was twisting with her finger.   
  
"Excuse me, can you come here?" asked Harry, and the girl, noticing Harry, walked to him shyly with confusion.  
  
"Yes?" she asked.  
  
"Hi. It's Lucy, right?"  
  
"Yes, it's Lucy Landerville."  
  
"Lucy, why are you and the other three girls hanging around Princess Glory? You're all so nice. Why would you want to be around such awful people?"  
  
"Glory's not as awful as you think," replied Lucy. "She's nice if you're close to her! I don't know why she's acting like this, though. She never used to act like this, nor does she act like this when she's with us four. Neither is she this bad when she's with Malfoy!   
  
"I have no idea why she's acting like this, and it's getting worse. I think something is making her do this, something inside her. Just believe me, Harry; she's not as bad as you think she is, nor is Malfoy as bad either. I wish you knew Glory a lot better, then you'd see."  
  
"Why don't you tell her to stop!"  
  
"I just can't, and I don't want to become enemies with her either. I'd rather be friends with a bad person than be their enemy, if you know what I mean."  
  
"All right. You can go now."  
  
Lucy Landerville caught up to the others quickly as Harry walked away to try and find his friends. He found them entering Hagrid's hut, so he rushed over to the little hut as quickly as possible and knocked on the door. Hagrid opened it, looking very concerned.  
  
"Glad yer 'ere, 'Arry!" said Hagrid. "'Ermione and Joy really need some good friends right now."  
  
Harry entered the hut as he saw his friends sitting on chairs. Joy and Hermione were crying on each other's shoulder. Ron tried to calm them down, but he was obviously not helping much.   
  
"She called me a Mudblood!" cried Hermione. "Just when I thought more people were realizing how ridiculous judging people by their families is, someone else starts agreeing with Malfoy!"  
  
"Glory said I look like a want to get pregnant!" cried Joy as well. "My own sister! Maybe she's right. Maybe I do dress like that."  
  
"Don't say tha', Princess!" said Hagrid, taking a seat next to Joy, as she looked up. "Ye don't dress like tha'! Ye look very pretty. Believe me, Joy, I've seen worse! Glory's exaggeratin'."  
  
"No really, I think I should be covering up more."  
  
"And maybe I should just face it," said Hermione. "I'm a Mudblood!"  
  
"Girls, don't think about wha' Glory said. Joy, ye don't dress like.... well.... like what Glory said. And Hermione, ye're not lower than anybody else j'st because ye were born into a muggle fam'ly! Ye know a lot mer magic than many wizards and witches born in magic families anyway!"  
  
"You're right, Hagrid," said Hermione, giving Hagrid a hug.  
  
"I think so too," said Joy, hugging him as well, "but I think I should be more careful of what I wear. I really think I should start wearing clothes that don't show much skin."  
  
"Whatev'r makes ye feel bett'r," said Hagrid.  
  
"Remember, Joy," said Ron, "I don't care what anyone says; you look beautiful in everything you wear!"  
  
"Oh, Ron! That's so sweet!" said Joy, as she kissed Ron on the cheek, which obviously made him go red in the face.  
  
"By the way, Harry," said Hermione, wiping away her tears, "why were you gone?"  
  
"I was talking with Lucy," responded Harry, taking a seat. "You know, one of Glory's friends, with the blonde hair in braids?"  
  
"Yeah, I remember her."  
  
"I noticed that when Glory always made bad remarks, her four friends didn't laugh, nor did they seem like they thought it was funny. I caught up with Lucy and asked why she was hanging around Glory, even if she was so mean."  
  
"And?" asked Ron.  
  
"She said that Glory's not as mean as we think, and that she's always nice when she's around them. But there are certain times when something comes out of her and makes her say all those horrid things."  
  
"I don't care what her friends say," said Ron. "All I know is that she's getting me mad, and she's prancing around with Malfoy and their gang, acting like a-"  
  
"Ron!" shouted Joy.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Maybe they're right," said Hermione. "What if it's when she's with Malfoy when she acts like that?"  
  
"No," replied Harry. "Lucy said that usually when she's with Malfoy, she doesn't act like that either."  
  
"She's nice t' me too!" said Hagrid. "Whenev'r I pass 'er, she always gives me a friendly 'hi' and asks what's new."  
  
"That seems so strange," said Harry. "One minute she's sweet, the next minute she's teasing and making fun of others."  
  
"I don't know what exactly is going on either," said Joy. "She can be very nice at times with me, but there are few times, like today, that she gets out of hand."  
  
"The only side I get to see of Glory is her bad side," said Ron, "and what it looks to me, is that Glory's going to the dark side!"  
  
*****  
  
That day would be the first meeting of the Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. Club. Out of hundreds of students attending Hogwarts, only 40 N.E.W.T. students could be selected to be a part of the club. Luckily, Harry and his friends were in the club, and so was 6 other N.E.W.T. Gryffindors. Ten students from each house of those who signed up were chosen, and only students who were in their 6th or 7th year could join. Unfortunately, Malfoy, his cronies, Glory and two of her friends were accepted too. The other two of Glory's friends, Lucy Landerville and Ruth Simmore, couldn't go to the Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. Club on Saturday, since that day of the week was the day Lucy and Ruth would write letters to their friends and family back home and their night to review notes.   
  
All of the accepted students entered Professor Luigi's room in excitement as Professor Luigi was getting ready what muggles would call an 'overhead' or 'projector', and pulled down a white screen near the chalkboard. Once everyone was seated and the room was quiet, Professor Luigi went to the front of the room and started the meeting.  
  
"Good afternoon, students!" greeted Professor Luigi with a smile.  
  
"Good afternoon, Professor Luigi!" greeted everyone back.  
  
"Welcome to the first meeting of the Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. Club. I assume everyone who has been accepted is here? Good! Before I start, I would just like to explain to you more about what this club is all about.  
  
" 'The Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. Club' is basically a club where you'll get to learn more advanced and detailed strategies on defending yourself against the dark arts, but more importantly, it demonstrates the use of defence against the Dark Arts in the wizarding word, and it specifically demonstrates the work of Aurors. Oh, and we will also be discussing a few current topics facing the Dark Arts in the world today.   
  
"Everyone in this club, if you didn't know, gets extra marks for participation of extra-curricular activities. And don't worry, we will not have exams in this club, nor will you be taking down notes.   
  
"We are all lucky to have 3 great experts on the defence against the Dark Arts here with us today. Two of these magnificent people are of Their Royal Highness Princess Joy and Princess Glory!"  
  
The students gave a round of applause for the two girls, as Joy gave one of her famous smiles and Glory nodded her head and grinned.  
  
"We also have another person who has come face-to-face countless times with the Dark Arts, and has been successful in each one of those situations, and you cannot forget that he has always been helped by his two wonderful friends. Please give a round of applause for Harry Potter, and his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger!"  
  
Clapping filled the room as all three of them blushed. The only people who didn't applaud was Malfoy, his cronies and Glory, although her two friends did. After the clapping had died down, Joy rose her hand for a question.  
  
"Yes, Princess?"   
  
"Professor Luigi, would we be able to discuss about the world crisis and all the attacks in this club?"  
  
"I'm sorry, we cannot discuss that," replied Professor Luig.  
  
"Why not?" asked Joy curiously.  
  
"You heard what he said," said Malfoy. "It's not our business to get into that kind of stuff."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No buts, let the professionals deal with it!" said Glory scowling at Joy, who looked very offended.   
  
"I think I've finished talking about the club so we can start," spoke Professor Luigi. "Today, we will be discussing Dementors. Please focus your attention on the white screen as I start the magic overhead."  
  
"The 'what'?" asked a 7th-year boy from Hufflepuff.   
  
"It's a magic overhead," explained Professor Luigi. "If any of you students know any professors, muggles, or muggle-borns, you may know what an overhead is."  
  
Malfoy snickered once he had heard the word 'muggle-born' and gave an evil grin at Hermione.  
  
"The overhead reflects images onto the white screen. Since it's a magic overhead, it has magic features."  
  
"Anything that involves muggles meddling with it is not magic at all," said Malfoy rudely.   
  
Despite the comment, Professor Luigi ignored it and kept on going. He flipped the switch and up appeared a moving picture of three disgusting Dementors: hooded and haunting figures with greyish, crabby hands. A foggy, gloomy night was the background of the Dementors in the image. The Dementor figures moaned and reached, terrifying the students.   
  
"Dementors, are the creatures we will be learning to defend ourselves from and discussing this meeting," said Professor Luigi. "I know these things guarded the castle a few years ago, but I'd like to do a little recap with you all about them.  
  
"Dementors are nasty things in my opinion, and probably in all your opinions too. They are not dead, nor alive, not a creature, nor a human. They wear black cloaks which hide their faces and the majority of the body. The only part seen are the hands, which are slimy and scabby, with a greyish-colour to their skin. That is one... thing... I wouldn't want to shake hands with!   
  
"As you can see on the screen, there are three Dementors shown," said Professor Luigi as he pointed a pointer-stick to the screen. "You can see how awful and disgusting they look. Gross!  
  
"The Dementors suck the happiness of those who dwell near them, except for muggles who can't see Dementors, and most people's minds are inflamed with dread, sorrow and fear in their presence. They can even suck up the magic of a wizard. Terrible things, terrible things....   
  
"They can be found in very gloomy and awful places. They usually live near swamps and mucky areas, places where not many wizards and witches would want to go.  
  
"The only time they put down their hood is to give a kiss. No, not the kind of kiss your mom or dad gives you, neither the kind which your girlfriend or boyfriend gives you. This kiss sucks the soul out of a being, so you wouldn't want a kiss from them either!   
  
"I found a picture of a Dementor's kiss, which I don't know how was taken, I could have put on the overhead, but it was too gruesome and horrid. It gave me a few nightmares. Ah well, I guess it's okay, considering that my nightmares of seeing my grandma in a bikini once in my childhood have stopped.  
  
"Anyway, they are usually found in the Prison of Azkaban as guards, or as I said before, in swamps. But lately, they have been seen wondering the streets. They're guarding some of the corners in a few cities to make sure no attacks occur. However, there have been some Dementors causing attacks, going into alleyways and stalking people. Unfortunately, the Aurors, including me, don't know if this has anything to do with the kidnappings and attacks."  
  
Professor Luigi put up another image on the magic overhead of Dementors invading the streets and watching people at the corners. The wizards and witches in the scene were horrified and traumatized. Harry remembered the terrifying feeling he had felt when the two Dementors had appeared on Privet Drive. The overhead was bringing back some of the horrible memories he had.  
  
"I think those overheads have scared enough," said Professor Luigi, realizing how shaken the students were as he took off the sheet from the overhead.   
  
"Maybe some of us more than others. Potter," mumbled Malfoy as he made a fake cough.   
  
"I wouldn't talk, Malfoy!" said Joy. "You were clinging on to Glory for dear life when you saw those pictures!"  
  
The students burst out laughing at the comment. Malfoy scowled at Joy, as did Glory. Professor Luigi cleared his throat to signal that he would like to get on with the meeting.  
  
"There are many different ways to protect yourselves from Dementors," continued Professor Luigi. "The most effective spell is the Flaming Dementor Incantation. Dementors are mostly afraid of very luminous and bright fires, most of the time. This incantation literally sets aflame the Dementor after you with a luminous fire. Even though this might seem simple, it is extremely difficult to learn, and only very skilled wizards can do this. I am one of those wizards, and so are our lovely Princesses. So, we will not be learning this spell in our Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. Club."  
  
Large moans filled the room, as everyone was disappointed in not learning the spell.  
  
"Can't you at least show us how it's like?" asked a 7th-year Ravenclaw girl.  
  
"Yes, of course! At the end of the day, we'll demonstrate to you the incantation. But to learn how to protect yourselves from Dementors, we will be learning and practicing the Patronus spell, which some of you haven't learnt yet and some of you already have.   
  
"When it is cast, the spell creates a kind of shield in the form of a creature to protect one from the Dementor. The Patronus is like a decoy for the Dementor, so it will not suck up your happiness and joy, nor will it hurt you in any way. The Patronus comes in many different shape. Each person's Patronus has a different form."  
  
Hermione raised up her hand for a question.  
  
"Yes, Hermione?"  
  
"Professor Luigi, what does your Patronus take the form of?"  
  
"It takes the form of my mom," said Professor Luigi. The students giggled a bit when hearing this. "What? Is there anything wrong with a mom protecting her son? Besides, once she gets mad, she can scare off anyone, even a Dementor!"  
  
The class howled in laughter. Harry's eyes were getting watery from laughing too hard.  
  
"When casting the Patronus Charm, you have to think of a very happy moment. Once you've picked a happy moment, think about it as you wave your wand and say, 'expecto patronum'.   
  
"I'll demonstrate for you all, but first, I should tell you that to practice, we will be using a Boggart. I have the Boggart somewhere here....." he said as he pulled out a small chest, shaking as if something was inside it. "As you already know, a Boggart is a creature that changes into the thing that most frightens who it encounters. Instead, I'll put a spell on it so it will definitely change into a Dementor."  
  
Professor Luigi got a hold of the chest and opened it the slightest bit so the tip of his wand could fit in.  
  
"Boggarti transo demento changiorli!" he said, as the crack was illuminated by sparkling yellow light and the Boggart inside the chest was wiggling around. Once he was done, Professor Luigi took out his wand and closed the chest. "Before we get to practice, I would like you to see two demonstrations done. The first one will be done by myself, and other one will be done by Mr. Harry Potter, who is experienced with the Patronus Charm and has agreed to show us an example. Now stand back! I will do my example now."  
  
Professor Luigi laid the chest at one end of the front of the room and stepped back to the other side.   
  
"Alohamora!" he said, as the chest burst open and a haunting, dark figure swooped out. The figure took the form of a Dementor, which lurked closer and closer to Professor Luigi. "The moment I am thinking about is when You-Know-Who was defeated," told Professor Luigi to the class. "If you didn't know, I was one of the soldiers battling. Expecto patronum!"  
  
A cloud of white mist shot out of his wand, and formed into a figure of a little, old Italian lady with an apron and a wooden spoon clutched in her right hand. The ghostly figure was between Professor Luigi and the Dementor, and was protecting the professor. The Dementor stopped in its tracks, as the figure made by Professor Luigi swung the wooden spoon at the Dementor, scaring it. The Dementor couldn't get passed the Patronus and was giving up. It was quite a funny sight, which made the students laughed.   
  
"Ridikulus!" said Professor Luigi, and the Dementor popped and vanished from their eyes, and slithered back into the chest.  
  
"Wasn't that a sight for giggles?" said Professor Luigi. "Mr. Harry Potter is up next for demonstrating to us the Patronus. Come up here, Harry!" Harry stood up from his seat and went to the front of the class. Professor Luigi showed him where to stand.   
  
"Harry, we want you to tell us what event you've picked for your Patronus. Do you know what you'll be thinking of?"  
  
"When I found out Lord Voldemort was dead," stated Harry proudly.  
  
"Do you have to say his name?" questioned a 7th year Ravenclaw boy.  
  
"The fear of the name only creates fear of the actual thing, Mr. Alex Johanson," implied Professor Luigi.  
  
"Besides, he's dead anyway," said Joy.   
  
At that moment, a strange look could be seen in Malfoy's face, as if he was keeping a secret and was trying to show he wasn't keeping one. Harry could tell he was hiding something, but Glory had the same expression too. Harry knew Malfoy's little secret, but he wasn't too sure of Glory's. Could she know what was happening around her?   
  
"Let's just continue," said Professor Luigi. "Harry?"  
  
"Ah, yes."  
  
"I'll open the chest for you," said Professor Luigi, as he got out of the way of Harry and the chest. Once everything was silent, and Harry was ready, Professor Luigi cast the spell. "Alohamora!"  
  
Yellow sparkles shot out of the professor's wand which opened the chest, as a dark figure slithered out. The Boggart quickly turned into a Dementor and headed towards Harry. Once he saw the dark figure of gloom, Harry's knees became weak and a chill of fear stroke down his spine. He became sweaty and his hands turned clammy. He closed his eyes and thought of the moment he found out Lord Voldemort was defeated....  
  
  
  
Right when they started eating their fish and chips, they heard a humming noise. That humming became cheering. Harry could see through the window crowds of people hugging and cheering.  
  
All four of them left their lunches and hurried out of Sweetsland. They soon found out that there was a parade with cheering people, who were saying something that was muffled up because of the crying and cheering. Remus, Ron's father, mother and Hermione's family rushed up to them, crying with joy.  
  
"HARRY! HARRY! HE'S GONE! IT'S OVER! YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ANYMORE!" shouted Remus with pure happiness.  
  
"Who? What? How?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yeah, Dad. What's going on?" asked Ron.  
  
"You-Know-Who is gone! He's dead!" said Arthur Weasley.  
  
"Yes, Hermione," said her father. "He's gone! Wizards and witches don't have to fear anymore!"   
  
"Harry, he's gone!" exclaimed Hermione with tears in her eyes. "You don't have to worry about him going after you!"   
  
"The war is over!" said Ron's mother, hugging everyone. "He's dead!"   
  
  
  
A burst of joy sprung up in his heart and warmed him inside, making him confident and joyous. He repeated this event in his head over and over, while the Dementor was heading quickly to him.  
  
"Expecto patronum!" Harry shouted, as he waved his wand with assurance.   
  
A pale mist escaped his wand and took the form of a prancing stag of pure and glowing white. The creature stood in front of the Dementor and protected Harry from the terrible thing. The students awed and marvelled in amazement and wonder at the sight of Harry's Patronus.   
  
"Ridikulus!" said Professor Luigi, and the horrible creature vanished.   
  
The class clapped in approval as Harry bowed in pride. Professor Luigi was clapping too, and had a large smile on his face.   
  
"Wonderful, absolutely wonderful! That was an excellent Patronus that Harry conjured up.  
  
"I would ask you all to pair up with someone in the club and to move the desks to the side so you'll have space to practice with your partner. We won't be unleashing any Boggarts, so you'll only be practicing to create the Patronus. Afterwards, we'll have 2 students from each house show us their Patronus. You may already know how to do the Patronus, but it is still important to practice it. If you or your partner need any help, just ask me."  
  
The students in the classroom paired themselves up with their friends and starting moving the desks to the walls. Joy paired up with Hermione, and Harry paired up with Ron. Both of them went to the corner of the room and started practicing their Patronus.  
  
"You can go first," said Harry. "Remember, think of a happy thought."  
  
"Why don't you go first?" questioned Ron. "You're the expect."  
  
"Exactly! I already know this already. Besides, I already did the demonstration and you're going to have to learn how to do one sooner or later. Now try creating your Patronus."  
  
"All right. So, I have to think of a happy moment?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"The time I first asked Joy out was a really happy time. Wow, was that ever a great moment!"  
  
Ron forgot about all his surroundings and remembered about that wonderful moment when Joy was hugging him with delight to go on a date. He became completely spaced out, and didn't even realize that Harry was waiting for him to do his Patronus.  
  
"Uh, Ron?" said Harry. "You're supposed to think of it while you're doing the Patronus."  
  
Ron stopped daydreaming and paid attention.  
  
"Yeah sure! The spell's expecto patronum, right?"  
  
"Yes, it is."  
  
"OK!" Ron focused on that happy moment again and got ready to do his charm. "Expecto patronum!"  
  
When he waved his wand to do the spell, nothing happened. Ron had a bit of disappointment in his face.   
  
"Try again," encouraged Harry. "You'll get it eventually."  
  
Ron tried to focus again. He waved his wand and said the spell.  
  
"Expecto patronum!"  
  
This time, a cloud of white mist popped out of Ron's wand, though it still wasn't a Patronus. Ron let out a sigh of sadness.  
  
"Don't worry, you'll get it," said Harry.  
  
Unfortunately, Ron made 30 tries at doing the Patronus Charm, yet failed at all 30 tries. After all 30 failures, Ron gave up hope.  
  
"That's it. I can't do it!"  
  
"Just try again, Ron!"  
  
"Fine." Ron squinted his eyes in concentration and gave a twirl to his wand. "Expecto patronum!"  
  
Finally, a ghostly figure jumped out of his wand and took the form of a Chudley Cannon player, hovering around on his broom and after a minute, vanished into thin air.  
  
"That was bloody brilliant!" said Ron with glee. "I did it!"  
  
"Ron, I think you are just a little bit too obsessed with the Chudley Cannons," declared Harry.  
  
Ron gave a small nod in agreement, until Professor Luigi called for attention at the head of the class.  
  
"All right, students! We will start our Patronus examples. We'll start with demonstrations from Gryffindor. Hermione, can you come up to the front?"  
  
"Gladly!" she said with a smile, walking up to the front, as the Boggart was shaking in his chest. Hermioned rolled up her sleeves and concentrated.  
  
"Alohamora!" said Professor Luigi, as the chest immediately opened and the shape of a Dementor floated out. It went closer and closer to Hermione, as she tried her hardest to relax and focus. With a wave of her wand, she said the charm.  
  
"Expecto patronum!" she shouted.  
  
A light mist popped out of her wand and transformed itself into the shape of Hagrid. The figure of the half-man, half-giant blocked the Dementor from Hermione, and was making it back off. The class gave a round of applause, while Professor Luigi said, "Ridikulus!" which made the Boggart slither back into its chest.  
  
"Wonderful, Hermione! Now we'll have Princess Joy."  
  
Joy skipped up to the front of the class smiling. She flipped her hair and readied herself for the Boggart. The chest opened, and the Dementor figure came closer a lot more quickly than any of the other students.  
  
"Expecto patronum!" said Joy.  
  
A white ghost popped out of the well-crafted wand and turned into a prancing, glorious, ivory white unicorn. The sight was gorgeous. All the students eyes followed the light steps of the gentle creature. The Dementor quickly backed off and vanished back into the chest.  
  
"Well done, Princess! Absolutely magnificent! Our smiling princess is quite the expertise at Patronus Charms, but alas, she doesn't need to, nor does Princess Glory. For such powerful people like these two give off a great and powerful force field which protects them from many things. Because of this, once a Dementor is at least 3 feet near either of them, it will burst into flames. It is usually Magic Monarchs who possess this qualities, but there have been a few cases when some witches and wizards have become so powerful, they give off their own force field."  
  
I wonder if Voldemort had a force field, wondered Harry, as he listened attentively to what Professor Luigi was saying. The thought of any Dementor not going near you gave Harry just a tinge of jealousy. If only he had a force field like that, he could have kept Dementors from lurking near him. At the mere thought of Dementors, he could feel the sudden rush of cold and icy rush he got when in the presence of the vile creatures. It would be wonderful to have such a field, because he would never have the taste of such a horrible feeling again.  
  
He also wondered who were the other witches and wizards to be so powerful as to have a force field like that. Could Voldemort have had one? Or did he also feel the waves of complete terror when he was near a Dementor? Maybe he didn't feel the gush of fright, because he was already plagued with such evil and hate. Harry abandoned the confusing questions and continued watching the demonstrations.  
  
The Defense Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. Club watched their fellow comrades as they cast their own Patronus. There was at least one student who didn't quite get the charm right at their first try in front of the class. Harry found it rather enjoyable seeing the different kinds of Patronuses his fellow students conjured up. He was quite interested to see as well the kind of Patronus that Malfoy would create.   
  
"Alohamora!" said Professor Luigi, at the beginning of Malfoy's demonstration. The chest burst open to which let out the disgusting Dementor-shape that hovered out.   
  
"Expecto patronum!" said Malfoy forcefully with a simple wave of his wand.   
  
The form of a giant white and fierce snake slithered out of Malfoy's wand, protecting him from the Dementor-shaped Boggart. Harry, in a way, expected that his Patronus would be a snake. The only thing that seemed peculiar, was that the snake had a striking resemblance to a miniature basilisk, which Harry destroyed when he battled Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets. Could this have anything to do with him allying himself with a reincarnation...or at least... some kind of form.... of Lord Voldemort?  
  
"Fantastic, Malfoy! Now we will see demonstrations from the Ravenclaw house! Princess Glory, would you like to step up here for us all?"  
  
"It would be my utmost please, Professor Luigi!" said Princess Glory, which showed how much she was sucking up to the Professor.   
  
She sauntered majestically to the front of the class and stood a fair distance from the chest. Professor Luigi opened the chest, and the Dementor figure came out, and was heading rapidly towards Glory.  
  
"Expecto patronum!" she shouted with a regal wave of her fine-crafted wand.   
  
A rush of ghostly mist shot out of her wand and formed into a very intriguing sight. It was a hippigryph, such as the one she kept for a pet, that was the creature that was illustrated on her coat of arms. The winged lion stood tall like a human and had an air of human likeness. It was wearing magnificent and shiny armour like a knight. Its wings were spread out across and its sword was pulled out and was held in front of it. The Dementor stopped immediately, as the rest of the students were in complete shock. This Patronus was unlike any other they had seen. Not even the brilliant unicorn could match the sight of this. The Boggart went back into its chest and sadly, the Patronus faded.   
  
"That is the best Patronus I have ever seen, Princess!" said Professor Luigi. "Oh, and I would like to talk with you a bit afterwards. May I, Princess Glory?"  
  
"Of course, Professor!"  
  
Another Ravenclaw girl (7th year) demonstrated her Patronus, which was a white figure of her large pet St. Bernard dog.   
  
At the end of the meeting, Professor Luigi finally showed the club the Flaming Dementor Incantation. The Boggart burst out of his hiding place as Professor Luigi's eyes were concentrating on the Dementor form and his arm stretched out with his wand.   
  
"Flamino dementorius!" he shouted with a twist of his wand.   
  
A beam of flaming and blinding light spat out of his wand and shot directly at the Dementor. The Dementor became consumed in licks of blinding fire. The whole entire dark figure was lit up and its entire body (or what you would call a body) was aflame, spreading quickly. The Boggart could not stand it any longer, and turned back into a shapeless creature and went back to its hiding place. The students clapped in great approval at the glorious and interesting incantation performed by Professor Luigi.   
  
"I've got to remember that spell if I ever come face to face with a Dementor!" whispered Harry to Ron. Ron nodded in agreement.  
  
Author's Note: I'd just like to tell you a little funny thing that happened: You know that part when Professor Luigi explains of each professor? Well at the time, the 5th book hadn't even come out, so I just wrote that he didn't even want to talk about him. After reading the book, all I had to change was the 'him' to 'her'! It fitted perfectly! Anyway, I'm sorry if I made anybody too "Mary Sue", but at the time I first wrote this, I didn't know about Mary Sues, nor did I know of FanFiction.Net. Anyway, I'm trying to stop Mary Suing without chopping the plot. Oh, and for recap: actually, I basically talked about it in the beginning. So if you want to know what happened, look at the first author's note, or just read the chapter! (*PLLLLEEEEAAASSSEEE REVIEWWWW!!!!!*). The next chapter's called "A Secret Hallway", which starts off with Harry Potter and Cho's Valentine's Day (which by the way, I'm very proud of the card I made up that Harry gave to Cho) and the finding of a secret passageway that leads to some VERY important news, which means it's a VERY important chapter (except for the Valentine part). Oh and PLLLLLEEEEAAAASSSSSEEEEEE REVIEWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!! 


	15. A Secret Hallway

Chapter 15  
  
A Secret Hallway  
  
Disclaimer: As you can see, it says 'Princess-Perfect' instead of 'J.K.Rowling', so NO, I don't own Harry Potter.   
  
Author's Note: Hi, everybody! By the way, I never answered to a few reviews that I got. I won't say the name of the person (or persons?), but I'll state their questions or reply to their comments  
  
1) Yes, Lupin's a werewolf, and werewolves are killed by silver or silver bullets. And yes, his Thunderbird may be the colour of silver, but it does not mean his car is actually made of the real metal of silver. They're too different things: the actual silver, and the colour silver.  
  
2) I know the Dursleys may seem OOC, but in a way, they're not really. In the 5th book, Petunia got the howler 'remember my last', and started to act a bit better to Harry. Plus, Harry's adult friends gave the Dursleys a talk on treating him better. That's basically why I made the Dursleys nicer.   
  
Anyway, enjoy the chapter!!!!   
  
"Oh Harry, I'm so glad you came!" said Cho, sitting up in her hospital bed as Harry held her hand.  
  
"Cho, it's Valentines Day! How could I leave you here all alone?" questioned Harry.  
  
The compliment brought a smile to Cho Chang's face, which put a grin on Harry's face too. Harry told Cho about the Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. Club, and Cho was deeply interested in it. They also talked about the repair of the Quidditch field, which was almost done.  
  
"In less than a month, we'll be able to continue the Quidditch season!" declared Harry gladly.  
  
"I know, especially because the next game is Ravenclaw against Hufflepuff."  
  
"Will you be able to play?"  
  
"No," stated Cho in a sigh. "Madame Pomfrey says I might overwork myself or something. She doesn't want to take any chances of me getting sick."  
  
"But Ravenclaw doesn't stand a chance without you, sweetheart!"  
  
"Oh, that's so sweet!" said Cho, and then she kissed Harry's cheek, making him blush.  
  
"Are you hungry?" asked Harry.  
  
"Actually, I am."  
  
"That's great! I have a surprise for you. Dobby! Colin! Dennis! Come in here!" shouted Harry.   
  
At once, the little house-elf, accompanied by Colin Creevey and his brother, brought a trolley with a bucket of ice with butterbeer (they were under-age for champagne), two plates with a silverware dome cover hiding what was underneath and a table set up for a lovely dinner. Cho's jaw dropped in shock and gave Harry an adoring look.  
  
"Harry, I cannot believe you did this for me!"  
  
"Anything for you, my love."  
  
"You're so kind!"  
  
"Dobby has heard of the affection that Harry Potter possesses towards Cho Chang, ma'am!" said Dobby.  
  
"Same here!" said Colin, as Dennis nodded.  
  
Dennis and Colin lifted up the lids, which underneath there were fabulous plates of rotisserie chicken, spaghetti, potato purée and tiny corn.   
  
"Harry, this is magnificent! What delicious food!"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Harry, can my brother and I take pictures of you and Cho?" asked Colin Creevey.   
  
"Of course," agreed Harry.  
  
Blinding and flashing lights appeared everywhere as Colin and Dennis took many photos of the couple. Harry didn't quite like the pictures, but Cho didn't seem to mind.  
  
"Dobby almost forgot the music, sir!" shouted Dobby, as he pulled out from under the trolley a small radio. He laid it on the hospital table beside them and turned on the stereo, with soft and romantic music starting to play.  
  
"This is so romantic."  
  
"And I'm not done with the surprises," said Harry. "Dennis, can you please bring me Cho's present?"  
  
"Of course, Harry Potter!"  
  
Dennis took out a little box from his pocket with a card attached to it, and handed it over to Harry. Cho's eyes widened at the sight of the little gift.  
  
"Now a present? Really, Harry, this is so much."  
  
"I love you, Cho, and love deserves more than the world."  
  
"That's so sweet!" said Cho, with tears forming in her eyes.  
  
"Come on, open the present!"  
  
"Oh yes, of course!"  
  
Cho pulled the card off the little box and laid the box aside. She gently took the card out of the envelope, and read the front of the card.  
  
  
  
"To my darling on Valentines' Day,"  
  
she said, as she opened the card and read the rest of it:  
  
"Today is a special day, when love is truly recognized as a blessed and loving thing, and when two people can share and appreciate the love they have together. This is not the case between us however. For every single moment I look into your lovely eyes, a warmth of joy comes over me, and for all the times I look at you, my heart is healed from any sorrow it possesses, and for ever single time we're together, I know that our love is true and eternal. But it is only Valentines' Day when I can demonstrate and prove my love to you. May you recognize my love, that is not only found once a year, but every day, every hour, and every second.  
  
From your loving boyfriend,  
  
Harry Potter."  
  
Tears tumbled out of Cho's eyes and onto her cheeks as Harry looked at her with sheer love. Dobby, Colin and Dennis felt quite touched by the gift and card as well. They wept immensely as Dennis passed around tissues. Dobby grabbed some tissues and blew his nose to the fullest, until it was so soggy and disgusting it could make anyone's stomach turn. He threw it away quickly as Dennis offered Cho a tissue. She took it with thanks and dabbed her eyes with it.   
  
"That was too beautiful, Harry," said Cho, still recovering from the tears. "I never knew you felt that way about me."  
  
"I do, Cho," he said confidently. "I do. Open the present."  
  
Cho quickly picked up the little box and opened it. Inside was a beautiful golden heart-shaped locket. In the middle it said in white gold: With all my love. Cho opened the locket and revealed a tiny picture of Harry and Cho together. Cho marvelled at the absolutely thoughtful and gorgeous gift she received, wanting to cry all over again. Harry helped Cho put on the necklace, and she looked down to see how beautiful it looked on her.   
  
"We should start eating our dinner," said Harry, "before it gets cold."  
  
"Yes, of course!"  
  
Dobby heard this and immediately poured some butterbeer into their glasses as they sat themselves down at the table.  
  
"Cheers!" said Harry as they both clinked their glasses together.   
  
Colin, Dennis and Dobby stood there in admiration as Harry and Cho started eating their delicious meal. They stood there for a long time, and it became quite annoying to Harry.  
  
"You can leave now, you know," said Harry.  
  
All three of them looked startled and embarrassed, and quickly exited the hospital wing. That evening, Harry and Cho had a lovely dinner, and even danced a bit with the music of the radio. The date was sealed with a tender kiss as they both parted for the night. Harry went to the common room and went to bed, thinking of nothing other than Cho. It was a Valentines' Day to remember.  
  
*****  
  
The following day, Harry couldn't stop thinking about that magical evening he had with Cho on Valentine's Day. During most of his classes, he drifted away into thought of his beloved girlfriend. A couple times he spotted Cho in the hall, and his heart fluttered as they both gave each other warm 'hello's.   
  
Because of this, Harry found it difficult to concentrate on the conversation his friends were having on Malfoy's scheme to bring Lord Voldemort to power, as they were walking down the hallway to the common room.  
  
"So what's Lucius Malfoy's part in all of this again?" asked Ron.   
  
"He's one of Lord Voldemort's former Death Eaters, who isn't in Azkaban, and he's the one responsible for most things outside of Hogwarts," replied Hermione.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy's probably the one who kidnapped the hypnotist, the businessman from Chile and that rare diamond," added Joy. "What was it called?"  
  
"It was the Luxark Diamond," said Hermione. "What would Malfoy or Voldemort need that for?"  
  
"I remember the newspaper saying it can turn any animal into a powerful and mythical creature," said Ron. "You-Know-Who had a basilisk, or some kind of snake, right?"  
  
"Right," they both answered.  
  
"Maybe he's trying to bring it back."  
  
"It could be," said Joy. "Plus, he could probably turn even a small rat into a ferocious dragon and use a whole bunch of them to terrorize witches and wizards everywhere. Just think about it: wild dragons stomping down Diagon Alley. That's pretty creepy."  
  
"Why was the businessman kidnapped?" asked Ron.  
  
"It's probably because he was a very powerful person in the business industry," said Hermione. "Remember, most of Voldemort's work is to terrorize and cause chaos."  
  
"Have you seen the stock market values these days?" asked Joy. "It's dropped 70% since Mr. Belroni's kidnapping! Obviously, many companies have lost a lot of money. Even so, he was in charge of a lot of magical items such as wands, charms, and such. The stock for magic supplies hasn't just dropped in Chile, but all around the world. You may not know this, but he was also an inventor and a scientist, who created many of the things he sold. Nowadays, there aren't as many magic supplies as there were before."  
  
"Decreasing the wizarding world of its magic and making it weaker; a typical Dark Lord thing," said Ron.  
  
"Harry- Harry? Are you paying attention to us at all?" asked Hermione.  
  
"What?" said Harry as he snapped out of his 'trance', still thinking about Cho. "What were you saying?"   
  
"Harry, seriously! You should be listening to our important conversation!" lectured Hermione.  
  
"I was too busy thinking about that wonderful date I had with Cho last night," said Harry.  
  
"Just because you had a nice evening with your girlfriend, doesn't mean you can be lollygagging in dreamland while we're having a conversation concerning highly important issues," told Joy. "I had an absolutely magnificent evening with Ron, maybe the best Valentine's Day I ever had, but you don't see me drifting off!"  
  
"You mean it, Joy?" asked Ron. "It was really the best Valentine's Day you ever had?"  
  
"Of course, sugar cookie!"  
  
"Can you just tell me what we were talking about?" demanded Harry.   
  
"We were talking about Lucius' business in all this and the topic on the kidnapping of the business man from Chile and the Luxark Diamond."  
  
"Oh, yes of course. Uhmm... Can I ask you another question?"   
  
"Of course, what?"  
  
"Where are we?"  
  
All of them stopped to look around and asked themselves the same question. They had lost track of where they were going, and now they had no idea where they were. They were completely lost.  
  
"Great!" said Ron. "We're lost!"  
  
"I've never ever seen these hallways before," said Hermione. "Where's this part of the castle?"  
  
"If we knew which part of the castle we were in, we'd now where we were, and we wouldn't be lost!" shouted Ron.  
  
"Ron, calm down!" said Joy. "Does anybody remember the last place we were?"  
  
Everyone shrugged and shook their heads.  
  
"No? Well, maybe we should go back to see where we made a wrong turn."  
  
"Joy, we don't know at all which turns we made!" said Harry. "No one was paying attention."  
  
"I guess we just have to see where these hallways lead to. It's the best way."  
  
"Besides, it's a chance for us to see how this place is like," said Hermione. "I've never seen this place in Hogwarts, so it's bound to be interesting."  
  
"Speak for yourself," murmured Ron.  
  
"Come on, let's go!" said Harry.  
  
Everyone followed Harry, going in twists and turns throughout unfamiliar and strange hallways. Awkward pictures were in that part of the castle, filled with statues of ghouls and monsters which crept them out a bit. Harry wasn't sure if there was any possible exit, but he was bound to find a way out.  
  
Unfortunately, after a worthless and exhausting hour of confusing halls, Harry Potter and his friends found themselves in a dead end. It seemed that all hope was lost (just like they were).  
  
"A dead end! Great, we're permanently lost!" shouted Ron in anger. "What is this, a Labyrinth?"   
  
"We'll be stuck here forever!" cried Hermione, taking a seat in the corner.   
  
"Maybe we should go back and try to take some different turns," said Joy, trying to be optimistic.   
  
Harry sighed and looked around. It was a very long hallway; it would probably take them 10 more minutes to find another turn. There was only one torch, so it was extremely dark. As a shadowed silhouette in the depths of the dark corridor, Harry saw a kind of gargoyle statue, which sent a leap of hope swelling in him. Maybe it can be a secret entrance to something, thought Harry. He thought it best to ask Joy a question.  
  
"Joy?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yes, Harry?" responded Joy exhaustingly.  
  
"I think I see some kind of statue on the wall of the dead end. Maybe there's something behind it."  
  
"Great idea, Harry!" said Joy.   
  
Joy put her hand on the statue at the dead end to see what she was dealing with. She took out her wand from her robes, waved it around and concentrated.   
  
"Lumos!" she said.  
  
A blast of light illuminated the statue and lit up the entire hallway. Harry and his friends could see that it was a gargoyle statue, with a scrunched-up face, dominating wings, and vicious claws. It was on some kind of platform, and the statue was inside a nook in the wall. Hermione stood up as they tried to examine the gargoyle.  
  
"Do you think the statue can be removed?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Maybe," said Ron, as he leaned on the platform of the statue.   
  
Suddenly, the platform and statue sank inside the nook and vanished, revealing a secret passageway. All four of them, absolutely amazed, entered the small entrance.   
  
Once they went through the entrance, they realized they were in some kind of small secret hallway with alas, a dead end, which made it seem more like a small room. Behind them, they could see that the gargoyle statue had pushed aside.  
  
"What opened the entrance?" asked Harry.  
  
"I think I might have pushed something," said Ron, looking at the platform he was leaning on. He pointed to the top-right corner of the stone block with a kind of metal decorative corner and a small button. "I probably pressed the button here," he said, as he pressed it again. Suddenly, the gargoyle glided to the left and closed the entrance. They were locked in.  
  
As everyone else let out a sigh, Hermione spotted some kind of door on the floor, which could have barely been noticed. It was completely cut out of the floor, and it had tiny silver hinges and a tiny door knob.  
  
"Look here!" she said in excitement. "There's some kind of door on the floor! I'll open it."  
  
Hermione kneeled down and lifted the door. Once opened, she looked in to see nothing but complete darkness. Everyone else kneeled to see what was inside.   
  
"There's nothing," said Harry. "It's just some hole in the floor, that probably leads to nowhere."  
  
"Maybe it leads to the centre of the earth, or even China!" said Ron. Ron leaned his head into the dark pit until his shoulders were swallowed in darkness. "Wow, is this ever dark- "  
  
Ron lost his balanced and fell right into the dark pit with many screams following him. Joy and Hermione shrieked in horror, as Harry gasped. Would Ron be alive, and where would Ron go?  
  
"If my boyfriend has fallen into that floor entrance, I'm coming with him!" said Joy bravely. She sat up on the edge of the pit and looked down into the dark hole.  
  
"Joy, you can't go!" said Hermione. "What happens if you never come back?"  
  
"We don't know what's down there!" added Harry. "What if you're killed?"  
  
"If there's something down there that can kill me, then there's a chance that it will kill Ron, and I don't want that to happen. Besides, we don't know what's down there, so we might find out there's nothing there in the first place!"  
  
"But- "  
  
"Too bad, I'm going in!"  
  
Joy slipped off the edge of the entrance and fell into the dark hole. Harry and Hermione looked down and wondered to themselves if it was safe to go in.  
  
"Well if Ron and the Princess are going in there, I might as well go in too!" said Hermione.   
  
"Wow, that's very unlikely of you, Hermione."  
  
"Harry, you've known me for what, almost 6 years now? You should know by now I can be very surprising."  
  
Hermione jumped into the black hole with a little yelp and plunged into darkness. Harry looked around him, and realized there was probably no way out of the small room anyway. Maybe there's a way to get out from where the hole ends up, thought Harry. He leaned on the very edge of the hole and glared at the dark pit.  
  
"I might as well go in," said Harry, shrugging his shoulders.  
  
He closed his eyes, and with all his courage, he leaped into the dark pit.   
  
For a while, he was falling endlessly in pitch blackness, but he suddenly landed on a rock surface and slid downwards. He found out he was going down some kind of tunnel, but hadn't realized it because he still couldn't see anything. The darkness everywhere was indescribable, and he was falling in it. He felt as if he was going down a gigantic slide with his eyes closed. He bumped into the rocky surface of the tunnel continuously, until he saw a kind of light at the end of the tunnel. I'm going to make it out, thought Harry, as he wondered what was at the end of the tunnel. He hoped his friends were okay there, as he slid through the end of the tunnel.  
  
He dropped right into a large circular room, completely empty except for his three worried friends. The three of them were huddled around the hole and went to Harry to make sure everything was all right.  
  
"Harry, are you all right?" asked Joy, giving him a hug, being grateful nothing bad happened to him.  
  
"Of course I'm all right!" said Harry. Harry looked around the room that he was in, which looked more like a dungeon. It's ceiling reached to a great height, and the whole entire room was in stone. Right across from him, he could see a large, wooden door. "Look over there, there's a door!"  
  
"No, Harry, it's really a Boggart in disguise," said Ron sarcastically.   
  
"Have you tried to open it already?" asked Harry.  
  
"No, it's absolutely locked," responded Hermione as they all turned to the door.  
  
"Why don't I try to bust it open?" suggested Ron, as he walked proudly to the door.   
  
With great force, he smashed himself right into the door, trying to break it down. Unfortunately, the door remained completely intact, and Ron's arm was completely sore. As he groaned, he shrugged and looked up at his friends.   
  
"Maybe that wasn't such a great idea after all."  
  
Harry, Joy and Hermione went to the door. Hermione examined it to see if there was any possible lock that could be open, while Harry looked around the dungeon-like room to see if there were any buttons or ledges that could be pressed which could open the door, and Joy tried to comfort Ron after bashing his arm into the door. Hermione put her ear to the door, and gasped in discovery. She listened some more and grinned in success.  
  
"Everyone, come here! I hear voices inside."  
  
"Hermione, I have no idea why you're smiling, because hearing voices doesn't sound like great news," said Ron. "The last time Harry said he heard voices in the wall, it got him into big trouble."  
  
"No, it's not that! There are other people talking on the other side of the door. There are people in there! No wonder the door was locked."  
  
"Why would there be other people on the other side of the door?" asked Harry. "Are there other students who know about this place, or do all these confusing hallways lead to other places around the school?"  
  
"It could be any of those reasons, or others!" said Joy.   
  
"What did you hear from the people on the other side of the door?" asked Ron.  
  
"I don't know," said Hermione. "All I heard were muffled voices.  
  
"Is there a way we can hear what they're saying?"  
  
"We can make the door see-through from our side," suggested Joy.  
  
"How are we going to do that?"  
  
"Do a charm," responded Joy. "I know how to do it. Do you want me to cast the charm?"  
  
"Go right ahead!" said Harry.  
  
Joy stepped back as she took out her wand and waved it.  
  
"Invisiblo portus!" said Joy, as green sparkles spat out of her wand and covered the door, making it invisible. All of them huddled near the door as they could see completely what was on the other side.   
  
On the other side of the door, there was a massive room that was lavishly furnished, with was a large extravagantly-carved chair elevated onto a platform. Sitting on the throne was a strange dark figure, and kneeling a distance from the elevated dark figure was a teenage boy with a head of blond slick hair clad in Slytherin robes.   
  
"It's Malfoy and You-Know-Who!" said Ron.  
  
"What are they saying?" asked Harry, trying to listen to the conversation in the room, but couldn't recognize what they were saying.  
  
"I don't know," said Hermione. "Joy, is there a way to listen in on their conversation?"  
  
"Sure, I'll make the door un-soundproofed, which will stop the door from blocking the things that they're saying." Joy waved her wand again and said another charm. "Soundio unproofus!"  
  
It seemed as if someone had turned a volume switch on high. The voices immediately became clear, and they could recognize each voice. It was definitely Malfoy's voice being spoken, and they could hear the high-pitched, harsh and evil voice of Lord Voldemort. Because they were finally able to hear inside the room, they listened in on their conversation.  
  
"I hear there is news from our other partner in our plan," said the dark shadow.  
  
"Yes there is, Master," responded Malfoy.  
  
"Then tell me, what is this news?"  
  
"He said that the Aurors are questioning the former Death Eaters immensely, and they are progressing in their search. They've been questioning my father. Will he confess, Master?"  
  
"I think not, Draco Malfoy. I can still remember the years I'd been in power. Your father had been questioned greatly, and he never let out his secrets, our secrets. Considering that is settled, let us speak of our attack on the Headmaster."  
  
Harry gasped as he heard the high-pitched and raspy words slither out of the dark figure's mouth. Was Professor Dumbledore going to really be attacked? Ron gulped, Hermione yelped in shock and Joy became quite tense and frightened. It looked as if Her Royal Highness would cry, but she did not.  
  
"We have discussed this greatly, and the plan is complete," said Malfoy.  
  
"Excellent! I have waited so long to make a move like this on Albus Dumbledore, but I never had the chance. This time, I have the chance and this time, it's fatal! Now tell me what will happen."  
  
"We found out that Professor Dumbledore will be giving Mr. Fudge, the Minister for Magic, a visit in less than a week. He is going to wait in the courtyard until his carriage brings him to the Minister. We have planned that the carriage driver will be one of our accomplices, a newly-made Death Eater. On the road to where the meeting is with Mr. Fudge, there is a large and very dangerous forest. Our Death Eater will take a turn into the forest, and push Dumbledore out of the carriage. There, many of our new Death Eaters will trample, torture and eventually destroy the Headmaster."  
  
Joy burst into silent sobs as she listened to these sharp and malevolent words. It was clear to Harry that she couldn't stand hearing the fact that her very-great grandfather was going to be murdered in less than a week. Ron put his arm around her in comfort, as Hermione stood there in complete shock. Harry's face became as white as a ghost.   
  
"What a wonderful plan!" remarked Lord Voldemort with a small cackle. "When is this meeting with Mr. Fudge?"   
  
"In 4 days, Master."  
  
"Magnificent! We will dispose of Dumbledore very soon. One of my greatest threats will finally be destroyed!!"  
  
The Princess let out a sobbing howl as she heard the last vicious sentence from the Dark Lord. Hermione and Ron were trying to comfort her, but Harry was too shocked to realize what was happening around him. With her face red with dripping tears, Joy cast a spell to make the door un-invisible and soundproof again.   
  
"Don't worry, Joy!" said Harry. "We'll tell Dumbledore all about this so it can be prevented."  
  
"How can we tell him," said Joy, wiping her tears and sniffing, "if we don't even know how to get out of here?"   
  
"I don't know, but we'll find a way."  
  
Harry leaned his elbow on the stone wall. Suddenly, the brick he was leaning his elbow on sank in, opening an entrance out of the room. They rushed to the entrance and looked outside.  
  
"It leads to the school grounds!" said Hermione excitingly.   
  
"We're free!" shouted Ron.  
  
"Come on, let's go tell Dumbledore about this odious plan!" said Harry, as he lead all of them through the entrance, into the grounds and into the castle.  
  
Author's Note: Let's recap - Harry and Cho had a great Valentine's Day, Harry and his friends got lost in the hallways and found themselves into a secret hallway which led to a really dark pit and they all went in which was actually a really dark slide which led to a stone circular room with a door which they listened into to hear a secret conversation between Malfoy and Voldemort that they're doing an attack on Dumbledore *huge gasp of air after huge sentence* Oh, and then they found a passageway out. By the way, during Harry and Cho's date, they had 'butterbeer' instead of 'champagne' (which I was going to write), but then I remembered they're under-age. So what's going to happen next? They're going to tell Dumbledore about the attack! See what happens next on:  
  
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRINCESSES FOR MAGIC *in sci-fi narrator voice*. Oh, and PPLLLEEEEEAAAAAASSSEEEE REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVIIIIIIEEEEEW!!!!!!! 


	16. Attack on Dumbledore

Chapter 16  
  
Attack on Dumbledore  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything else I mentioned in the other disclaimers.  
  
Author's Note: Hey people! Yep, this is the 16th chapter (please hang on 'til the end!), and in this chapter, Harry, Joy, Ron and Hermione tell Professor Dumbledore that he'll be attacked and killed. But will that stop from him having his horrible death? Read on to find out!!!   
  
Harry, Princess Joy, Ron and Hermione walked quietly around the grounds and into the castle, trying to make sure no one saw them. As the large old-fashioned castle door of the entrance slowly opened, Harry and his friends rushed in. Once they were finally in, they took a deep breath of relief. Afterwards, they rushed up the grand staircase and to the moving staircases as Her Royal Highness tried to wipe her tears away from her face.  
  
"I think I should wash my face before we talk to Professor Dumbledore," said Princess Joy, as all of them hopped onto a moving staircase. "I don't want him to see me like this."  
  
"Don't worry, Joy!" said Harry. "He's not going to make fun of you or anything, and I'm sure he'll understand you're worried for him."  
  
"It's not that!" she said, rubbing her sniffling nose. "I'm supposed to be one of the Heads of the Wizarding World with my sister in less than two years. Crying like this just seems so unprofessional."  
  
"If you insist, we'll find a girls' washroom," said Ron. "Hermione, do you know any nearby?"  
  
"The closest one I can think of is Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," replied Hermione. "I'm not too sure you want to go in there."  
  
"It's all right. I'll go there," said Joy. "I've met Myrtle and talked to her a few times."  
  
"Here's the floor to the girls' bathroom!" said Hermione, as she pointed to the floor the staircase was approaching.  
  
All of them hopped off the flight of stairs and onto the floor. After walking through the hallway, they entered the wet and abandoned washroom which the annoying ghost, Moaning Myrtle, haunted. Harry and Ron were a bit skittish at first to enter, but then Hermione and Joy told them it was all right. While Joy turned on a faucet and washed her face, Harry spotted Moaning Myrtle floating in the corner, sighing and sobbing. She had noticed Harry looking at her and looked up in anger.  
  
"What are you doing here, Harry?" she questioned. "This is a girls' bathroom!"  
  
"Joy needed to wash up before we went to Professor Dumbledore," he answered.  
  
"Well, all right... So Harry, how've you been?" she asked with blushing cheeks (it was the first time Harry had ever seen a ghost blush).   
  
"Okay, I guess. It was a rough year last year, but I got through it. This year's been a bit more tolerable."  
  
"I heard Cho was attacked a while ago," she said, as if it was juicy gossip. "Is she still in the hospital wing?"  
  
"She's still weak, so she's going to stay there for a little while, and then she'll come out."  
  
"And you?" questioned Moaning Myrtle to Ron in an obligating way.  
  
"It's been great," said Ron. "Having a girlfriend is pretty cool, especially since Joy's my girlfriend."  
  
"Oh. I would never know that, because I've never had a boyfriend!"   
  
At that moment, Myrtle started to wail annoyingly as Joy turned off the faucet and dried her face with a towel. Moaning Myrtle noticed this and looked up at Joy.  
  
"Hello, Your Royal Highness!" she said admiringly, as she completely ceased her crying. "You came to wash up?"  
  
"Yes, Myrtle," Joy responded. "I was crying and I didn't want Professor Dumbledore to see me in that state."  
  
"Why were you crying, and why are you going to see Professor Dumbledore?" she asked intriguingly.  
  
"Well... uhm... " she stuttered, not knowing what to tell her. "I'll just put it in a simple matter: we found out that someone is going to try and murder Professor Dumbledore when he will go to visit the Minister for Magic in less than a week. I started crying because I didn't want my great-great-great-grandfather to face that."  
  
"Oh my goodness!" cried Moaning Myrtle as she covered her mouth with her hands in shock.  
  
"It's true," admitted Hermione, "but try and keep it a secret, all right?"  
  
"Hermione, do you think I need to put on my make-up?" asked Joy, looking at herself in the mirror.  
  
"Joy, Professor Dumbledore's your great-great-great-grandfather. He doesn't care if you wear make-up or not."  
  
"That's true."  
  
"I never got to put on make-up before I died," sighed Moaning Myrtle, "and I never will!"  
  
She started sobbing again as everyone else gave a large sigh in frustration, except for Joy, who was smiling caringly.  
  
"Don't worry about that, Myrtle!" she said with one of her famous smiles. "I own a beauty product line, which sells make-up made for ghosts! I'll send you a catalogue."  
  
"That would be lovely!" said the ghost with happiness. "I can't wait... but I can't believe someone is going to try and murder Professor Dumbledore!"  
  
And yet again, she started wailing and crying again as she floated to the corner where she was before. The four of them became quite annoyed and hurried back on the moving flight of stairs and onto the floor where Dumbledore's office was located. They walked down the hall towards the large stone gargoyle statue in front of Dumbledore's office, and stopped right in front of it.   
  
"What's the password? Do either you two know?" asked Ron curiously to Harry and Joy.  
  
"I know what the password is," said Joy, and then turned to the gargoyle statue. "Pumpkin crisps!"   
  
Suddenly, the statue came to life and moved aside. The wall behind it opened, revealing a spiralling staircase which was escalating slowly.   
  
All four of them hopped onto the staircase as it brought them upwards to the floor where stood a large wooden door with a wonderful griffon-shaped knocker made of brass. Harry and his friends stepped off the spiralling staircase and walked in front of the door.   
  
Harry gently knocked the brass knocker and waited for a reply.  
  
"Come in," said a soft voice coming from Professor Dumbledore.  
  
Harry opened the door to the office. As he and his friends entered the office of Hogwarts' Headmaster, he marvelled at the room which he had seen quite a few times, but still amazed him.   
  
Hung around the circular room, were large framed portraits of former Headmasters and Headmistresses who were sleeping soundly. Shelves, shelves and more shelves of curious objects and volumes of books were put around the room. On one of the many shelves, the Sorting Hat was kept, and it too was sleeping. Beautiful furniture gave the room a taste of fine decor, and on one of the beautiful tables was a metal instrument that made tinkling noises and puffed out smoke. Harry remembered the temper tantrum he had at the end of his 5th year in Dumbledore's office, that included the smashing of most of the silver instruments (which he kind of regretted it afterwards). In one corner was a marvellous sword held in a glass case, which had once belonged to Godric Gryffindor and was what Harry Potter used to slay the basilisk in his 2nd year. In another corner, was a basin made of stone which held a silvery, shimmering water. This was the Pensieve, which Dumbledore had once shown Harry in his 4th year.   
  
Even if the room was so familiar to Harry and brought back many memories, Harry could find a few differences in the room. Among many of the framed pictures hung a couple of pictures of Princesses Joy and Glory, their father, the Pink Lady, and a few other portraits of family members. Harry also spotted a couple of leather couches in the back. Hermione looked around in wonder at the magnificent room, as did Ron. The four of them advanced to the finely-carved wooden desk with claw-footed legs, where Professor Dumbledore was doing some paperwork and eating a bag of Pumpkin Crisps, with Fawkes sitting on his perch right next to Dumbledore's desk. Fawkes crowed, and Dumbledore looked up and gave them all a smile. He suddenly remembered that he was eating Pumpkin Crisps (which quite made him look unprofessional) and quickly hid the bag in his drawer, making Harry giggle at the scene.  
  
"Good evening, Joy, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger," greeted the Headmaster formally. "What brings you to my office today?"  
  
"We have something very important to tell you," said Hermione.  
  
"Really?" asked Dumbledore with interest. "And what is this you have to tell me, I presume?"  
  
"We overhead Ma-, I mean, a couple of people," said Harry, "planning an attack."  
  
"Oh? Tell me more, Mr. Potter. Who, may I ask, is the one who is supposed to be attacked?"  
  
"That's why it was so important to talk to you," said Hermione in a concerned manner.  
  
"Well then, who is it?"  
  
"The person who they've planned to attack w-was....was....." Harry felt it hard to continue. How would Professor Dumbledore take it? What would be his reaction? Harry suddenly realized what he was about to say: Someone was going to try and murder Professor Dumbledore. Nonetheless, Harry got up the courage to finish what he was saying. "Professor Dumbledore, the person who they've planned to attack is you."  
  
Professor Dumbledore's eyes widened immensely, and he sat there in shock. Harry didn't think he could believe what he was hearing either. Dumbledore gulped down his fear and tried to face the music, asking them more questions.   
  
"And how serious is this... attack, Mr. Potter?"  
  
"Fatal, Professor Dumbledore," he answered. "It's fatal."  
  
"So, they're planning to murder me?" questioned Professor Dumbledore. Harry could see the Professor trembling. He adjusted his glasses and questioned them more. "Is there any particular date that you overheard when they were going to... kill me?"  
  
"They're going to attack you in 4 days," said Hermione, "when you're going to give a visit to Mr. Cornelius Fudge, sir."  
  
"I see," he said deep in thought. Harry could not at all possibly guess how Dumbledore was feeling at that moment. It made Harry tremble a bit too. "What is the plan?"  
  
"I'll answer this one," volunteered Joy. "Those who are scheming against you found out that you would be waiting in the grounds for your carriage to take you to Mr. Fudge. The carriage driver in the carriage would be a-" She paused for a moment, remembering that she couldn't say 'death eater', because those were the followers of Lord Voldemort and that would prove they'd been snooping around. "The carriage driver in the carriage would be someone who is a part of the scheming, and they wouldn't bring you to where you were supposed to go. On the way to the Minister, you would be passing by a large and dangerous forest."  
  
"Batingham Forest, I think it is called," said Professor Dumbledore.  
  
"Yes, I think so. The carriage-driver will take a turn right into the forest, and drop you off there. In the forest, many other... attackers, will trample you...torture... you... and eventually... kill... you..."  
  
Joy burst out crying when she was done speaking. Ron let her rest on his shoulder, as Dumbledore gave a sigh, so sad that his really great-granddaughter was crying and stressing out over his supposed upcoming attack.  
  
"There, there, Joy," said Professor Dumbledore. "Please do not cry. Everything will be sorted out. You do not have to stress over this so. If there is anyone who should be stressed, it is I. Don't worry yourself over me."  
  
Dumbledore stood up from his seat, walked over to Joy and gave her a hug. Joy then started to cry on his shoulder. Even Fawkes, Dumbledore's faithful pet, was crying over the awful plan, which made everybody else want to cry too. Dumbledore gave Joy a tissue and told her to calm herself. He then looked at all of them in suspicion, and asked them another question, as he sat down in his chair.  
  
"If I may ask, how did you four find out about this?" questioned Dumbledore.  
  
The four of them looked at each other, and looked back at him. They had no idea what to say. It was Hermione's turn again to get herself together and to explain to Dumbledore what happened, although she was quite scared if they would all get into trouble.  
  
"You see, Dumbledore," Hermione started off, "we were chatting in the halls for a while, not paying attention to where we were going. Once we finished talking, we looked around us and found out that we were lost in these strange hallways, so we walked around trying to find our way back to the common room but instead we found ourselves in a dead end but Ron accidentally pushed a button on the stone gargoyle and we found an entrance to a little room where we thought there was no way out in there but we found a door on the floor which was absolutely pitched black inside but then Ron fell in, and then Joy jumped in after him, then I did and then Harry went down the dark pit too and we found out that it was actually a slide which led to a stone circular room which had a large wooden door in it and because I heard some mumbling on the other side of the door, Joy made the door transparent on our side and made it non-soundproof so we could hear everything they were saying but once we heard the complete plan of what they were going to do to you, Joy de-charmed the door and Harry pushed a stone-brick in the wall which opened an entrance into the grounds so we decided to rush up to your office and here we are!" Hermione took a large deep breath after saying all they had done all at once, which lead them to finding out Malfoy and Voldemort's plan. "You're not going to expel us, are you?"  
  
"Expel you? I should reward you!" said Dumbledore, as all four of them (especially Hermione) let out a sigh of relief. "It was nothing but bad luck, yet good fortune which lead you through the confusing hallways and out into the grounds. It wasn't really your fault you got lost, for it was an honest mistake. For warning me about all this, I award 20 points to Gryffindor for each one of you!"   
  
Large smiles, both of respite and happiness, swept across all of their faces.  
  
"Thank you so much, Professor Dumbledore!" thanked Harry.  
  
"My pleasure. Oh, would you mind telling me who these attackers are?" asked the Headmaster, with a touch of anger in the depths of his words.  
  
No one really knew how to answer the Headmaster's question. They did know who the attackers were, but could Dumbledore really understand them? Malfoy would of course doubt it if questioned, but how could they prove that Lord Voldemort had come back? They didn't even know themselves how Lord Voldemort came back. Finally, Ron decided to answer the question for them.  
  
"We couldn't tell who it was," answered Ron. "Even if the door was transparent on our side, the room was too dark to see who it was."  
  
"Very well," said Professor Dumbledore. "You may all leave now and go to the Gryffindor common room. I will call a meeting with the staff to discuss this. Farewell!"  
  
"Farewell!" they all said as they walked out of the room, down the twirling flight of stairs and out into the hallway.   
  
They were thankful that the burden of telling Professor Dumbledore and the worry that they would get expelled was over. On their way to the common room, they passed Princess Glory, who surprisingly wasn't in an evil mood.  
  
"Well hello there!" greeted Glory with a warm grin. "Were you coming from the Headmaster's office? Joy, you're not wearing make-up, and it looks like you were crying. What's going on?"  
  
"Glory, I need to tell you something," said Joy, as she led Glory into an empty classroom.   
  
The three of them listened to the whispering between Joy and Glory in the empty room, and then a sudden shrill scream coming from Glory.  
  
"WWHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" screamed Glory, which made the floors and walls shake, broke a few windows and completely startled many students. Once the screaming was over, Joy and Glory came out of the empty classroom. Glory's face was as white as a ghost and she looked very uneasy.  
  
"I-I-I..." stuttered Glory. "I have to... I have to go... now!"   
  
Glory hurriedly ran away from where all of them were standing and rushed all the way to the Ravenclaw common room. Harry and his friends were quite surprised that Princess Glory would react like that to the news.  
  
"What are we going to do now?" asked Hermione.  
  
"We'll go to our common rooms, like we were trying to do before," said Joy. "We'll wait tomorrow for the decisions the staff made at the meeting."  
  
"Come on, let's go," said Harry, as they walked down the hallway to the Gryffindor common room.   
  
"I just hope we don't get lost again," chuckled Ron.  
  
*****  
  
That night wasn't a peaceful night whatsoever. The news of the plan of Dumbledore's attack spread so quickly that by the time Harry and his friends reached the Gryffindor common room, every single Gryffindor (and all the other students, teachers and staff members) knew about it.   
  
Harry had a hard time doing anything but worrying for what would happen next. He had an awful nightmare of what might happen to Professor Dumbledore, which could have given anyone shivers down their spine. Harry wondered how everyone else was feeling after hearing the terrible news. He didn't know if he could get over it until everything was settled, and until the day of the attack had passed, although he wasn't even sure if he'd be calm by then (thinking if Dumbledore and the staff would be able to stop the attack).  
  
Harry and everyone else in the school woke up very anxious and hurried to get ready to be one of the first ones to hear what the staff had decided. Harry, Ron and Hermione rushed to the Great Hall where everyone was whispering and gossiping about Dumbledore's planned attack. Harry didn't eat too much for breakfast because he was so nervous to hear what would happen. He could see Dumbledore talking to Princesses Joy and Glory in the corner of the room. After a while, the two girls rushed back to their house tables and Professor Dumbledore went to his head table, where all the staff looked quite tense (especially Hagrid). Joy sat down at the end of the Gryffindor table next to Ron and put some food on her plate.  
  
"So, what did Dumbledore tell you?" asked Hermione.  
  
"He says that there will be guards everywhere when he will go on his visit to meet the Minister," replied Joy. "If it was an unimportant meeting, Dumbledore would have cancelled it, but this meeting is very important. It concerns the attacks and this whole terrorism business."  
  
"Is there anything else you can tell us?" asked Ron.  
  
"No, Professor Dumbledore is going to explain it with more detail in about 10 minutes."  
  
"I feel sorry for you, Joy," said Dean Thomas. "It's hard enough for all of us to think that someone would try and kill Professor Dumbledore. But you! He's your great-great-great-great-great... or great-great-great... Anyway, he's some kind of grandfather to you, and it would seem like such a loss to your family."  
  
"Yes, I know," she responded, although Harry could see by the look on her face that it seemed to her that Dean was just rubbing the news in.   
  
"I feel sorry for Princess Glory, too!" said Seamus Finnigan. "I heard she was completely white after you, Joy, told her the news. Poor lass!"  
  
"She's not a lass, Seamus!" corrected Ginny Weasley, who was also very worried for Princess Joy and Princess Glory (especially Glory). "She's a princess, and a very stressed-out princess at this moment. A lot of the Ministries of Magic around the world don't want a monarchy anymore, and she's trying hard to prove to them that she's not the aristocratic and overpowered brat that they think she is. And don't think that Princess Joy is different than that, because she's working hard on that too."  
  
"Yes I am, Ginny," said Joy, but Harry could see on her face again that she wasn't too pleased of what Ginny had said either. It was so strange that Joy was dating her older brother, Ron, and she was trying to be very nice to Ginny, but for some strange reason she was still boasting and practically worshipping Princess Glory. Was Joy doing something wrong?  
  
"Colin, maybe we should have taken some more pictures of Professor Dumbledore," said Dennis, holding his camera.  
  
"I know what you mean," agreed Colin. "It just seems like those 190 pictures we took of him aren't enough!"  
  
"He probably found a way to not get attacked, right?"  
  
"Of course he did!"  
  
Both of them hugged each other, which seemed like a perfect moment to catch on camera. Once finished hugging, Colin turned to Harry.  
  
"By the way, Harry, can Dennis and I take a few more pictures of you after breakfast?"  
  
Harry absolutely hated them taking pictures of him, and he clutched his hand in frustration.  
  
"Sure," he said in obligation.   
  
Professor Dumbledore stood up from the head table and called for attention. In less than a second, all eyes were on him.  
  
"I would like to have all your attention," said Dumbledore. "Yesterday evening, I had a visit from four students who reported to me about a secret plan they overheard to destroy me. The attackers planning to do this are unknown."   
  
At that moment, Harry glared at Malfoy, and noticed that he had a tiny smirk on his face, the kind of smirk a secret criminal would have when no one else knew they were responsible for something bad. He also looked a bit frustrated, and Harry could see that he was probably frustrated from them four finding out his plan to destroy Dumbledore. Nonetheless, Harry turned around and continued to listen to Dumbledore.   
  
"In a few days, I was supposed to go and give a very important visit to Mr. Fudge, the Minister for Magic, and I would be brought to the meeting by carriage. The murder plot was said to be that the carriage-driver would be someone who would be part of the scheming of my... death. He would drop me off into Batingham Forest, which is a large, dark forest near where the meeting would take place. In that forest, I would be... murdered..." Harry could tell it wasn't easy for Dumbledore to tell them about this plan, but alas, he kept on telling about it.   
  
"During the staff meeting, many of the professors questioned the discovery of the plan and were thinking of letting it go. Even so, many other professors and staff believed that the plan was true. By the end of the meeting, we decided that for the rest of the week and the next week, there will be some guards around the school so that any suspicious events will be notified. As well, there will be security following me to the meeting with the Minister, and we have contacted Mr. Fudge on the discovery. If you have any questions, you are welcome to ask any of the professors and I."  
  
Professor Dumbledore sat down, letting the students continue to whisper to each other. In a few minutes, breakfast was over and Harry had to face the awful flashing lights of Dennis and Colin Creevey, and he had to wait for what would happen to Professor Dumbledore on his visit to the Minister of Magic.   
  
*****  
  
It was the night when Professor Dumbledore was going to give his important visit to Cornelius Fudge. Harry stared out of a window in the Gryffindor common room in worry if something wrong might happen to the Headmaster that night. He and his friends were the only ones in the common room, for all the others had gone to bed. Maybe all their plans of security will go wrong, or maybe Malfoy and Voldemort have found another way to destroy Dumbledore, he thought to himself. He tried to think good thoughts, but it was no use. He had suffered a lot after the attack of Cho, but he wasn't sure what would happen if Dumbledore, the professor who had cared for him and protected him from Voldemort during all his time at Hogwarts, was murdered.  
  
There was a lot of top security at the school the whole week to make sure nothing wrong would happen. They were the palace guards, who worked for Princess Joy, Glory and their parents at their palace (thus called palace guards). Harry remembered that Joy didn't want to have any guards at Hogwarts because she wanted her freedom. Even with her psychic capabilities, she hadn't predicted that she would need her guards anyway. The guards were dressed as black knights with a belt of readied weapons on their waists. They had a picture of each of the Princesses' coat of arms on each side of their shoulders. They even had strange, wizard-like walkie-talkies. The guards seemed kind of creepy to Harry, but then again, why would they hurt him?  
  
Harry was still staring out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Dumbledore going into his carriage, until someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and found out it was Hermione, who was a bit tense as well.  
  
"Are you all right, Harry?" asked Hermione.  
  
"I'm fine. And you?"  
  
"I'm all right, but I'm still tense."  
  
"Me too. Is Joy all right?"  
  
"She's quite tense too. Actually, she's more tense than both of us combined."  
  
Harry and Hermione turned to see Ron and Joy. Joy was gripping very tightly onto a pillow with Ron laying his hand on her shoulder.   
  
"Joy, are you going to be fine?" asked Harry.  
  
"I think so," she answered. She stood up and went to the windows of the common room. She looked out one of the window into the dark grounds circulating the grand castle. "I've been worrying so much about what would happen tonight. Anything can go wrong! I know there will be guards in the carriage and in the grounds, but Malfoy and Voldemort are sly. They might find another way to- to...   
  
"I just wish there could be a way, a way for me to make sure he was all right. If only there could be a way I could go with him, or... follow him..."   
  
A daring smirk spread across her splendid face, one that Harry had never seen before on Joy. Harry had the feeling that she had a plan, a sneaky plan, hidden up her sleeve.   
  
"Joy, I've seen you make many smiles, grins and smirks," said Ron, "but I have  
  
never seen that look on your face before. Please tell me what you are thinking!"  
  
"I've got a plan, a plan that could reassure me that Professor Dumbledore will be safe."  
  
"What are you talking about, Joy?" asked Harry.   
  
"I'm thinking that we can use Ron's via-mobile to follow Dumbledore."  
  
"We're going to do what?" questioned Ron.  
  
"Ron, you got your license not too long ago. This is your chance to show your skills at driving the via-mobile! We can wait outside in the via-mobile for Professor Dumbledore to go outside and enter the carriage. When he's gone, we'll follow him and make sure he'll be all right and that no attackers get a hold of him."  
  
"Hold on a minute!" shouted Ron. "You really expect me to drive a floating machine like that in these circumstances? I'm obviously going to screw up one way or another, and we've already experienced that kind of screw up, if you don't recall our crash into the Forbidden Forest!"   
  
"Honey, I know you'll be fine!" encouraged Joy.  
  
"Why can't you drive, Joy?"  
  
"Ron, you have to practice driving the via-mobile. You haven't been driving lately and you should practice a bit more."  
  
"Joy, this is a very difficult task! Why can't you drive it? You're a professional!"  
  
"Actually, I wanted to drive in the back of the via-mobile," she implied. "If whoever is trying to destroy Dumbledore finds out that I'm driving behind them, they might try and go after us. I don't want any of you three getting hurt."  
  
"You're right," admitted Ron.   
  
"But Joy, there are so many guards in the grounds!" said Hermione. "We won't be able to pass them, especially with a large flying object! How are we going to follow Dumbledore without them seeing us?"  
  
"The via-mobile has a special feature that makes it invisible," answered Joy.  
  
"But don't the guards have maps that show where people are, like the marauder's map?" asked Harry. "They'll probably see us with the map."  
  
"Those kind of maps are very useful and they can find anybody, invisible or not, but they won't be able to identify us if we're hovering above the castle."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Harry, the via-mobile hovers, which means we can hide above the castle! The maps can't detect those who are high up in the air."  
  
"So, what's our strategy?" asked Ron.  
  
"We're going to hide high above the Gryffindor tower until Professor Dumbledore's coach has left the castle. Afterwards, we'll follow the carriage through the roads while we're still in the air. We'll look down with omnoculars. If there's something wrong, we'll go down to the road. Understand?"  
  
"Yes!" they all said in unison.  
  
"Good. All of you, get ready. Ron, I need you to get your BCB containing your via-mobile. Harry and Hermione, I need you both to move the furniture so we'll have room for the via-mobile. Once we're in, I need you, Hermione, to cast a charm so we can open the wall over there to fit the via-mobile," she said as she pointed to a large, empty wall near the windows of the common room. "Try and cast the charm so that all of this will seem invisible to everyone else. As for me, I'll go get 4 omnoculars. You know what omnoculars are, right?"  
  
"Of course," said Harry. "They're like muggle binoculars, except that they have cool features and they can replay things you've seen."  
  
"All right. Hermione, are you sure you can do the charm?"  
  
"I'll be able to do it. In truth, it feels strange to hear us making this plan to follow Dumbledore. If we can get past the guards, then anyone can."  
  
"That's exactly why we're doing this; anyone can get past them. The guards are fantastic, but if you have a sly mind, you can get passed anyone."  
  
Ron and Harry went to their rooms to put on heavier robes and scarves, and to get Ron's BCB, while Hermione and Joy went to get themselves ready too. Harry and Hermione came down before the other two and started to push the furniture away so that they'd have room for the via-mobile. While they were pushing the furniture, Harry spoke to Hermione.  
  
"You know, Hermione, you've become a lot more daring since the first time I met you. I know I've already told you this before, but I wanted to tell you again. It's surprising you weren't against this plan."  
  
"I know, sometimes I surprise myself. It's hard to look back at the girl who I was during my 1st year, and to think how different we both are. Sometimes, I wish I was still her, but sometimes I don't. But Joy has been more daring too. She was always brave, but now she's more into scheming, planning and ignoring the rules."  
  
"It just goes to show that all four of us were meant to be put in Gryffindor," said Harry.  
  
Ron and Joy finally came down and helped Harry and Hermione push the furniture out of the way. Ron pushed a few buttons which beamed out the via-mobile. Once it was out of the BCB, all of them hopped into the large, hovering vehicle. Ron and Hermione were in the front, and Joy and Harry were in the back. They all buckled up their seatbelts as Joy gave them the signal to get ready.  
  
"Hermione, cast the charm!"  
  
Hermione pulled down the window, stuck out her arm with her wand in hand, waved her wand and cast the charm.  
  
"Morus openo invisiblus!" said Hermione.  
  
Suddenly, the bricks of the wall started to shift and move as it created a large hole in the wall, just big enough to fit the via-mobile.   
  
"Ron, press the invisibility button and move forward!"  
  
"Got it, sweetheart!"  
  
Ron pushed a small red button at the front of the via-mobile, which made the vehicle became invisible. Afterwards, he put a small silver key into the keyhole, turned it and started the via-mobile. He pushed the lever, pushed down on the pedal and away they went through the hole. Hermione turned around to do another charm to close the hole in the wall.   
  
"Morus fermus finito!"  
  
The bricks shifted and moved again until the hole had closed itself. Ron drove the via-mobile above the Gryffindor tower and waited there for Dumbledore to come out with his carriage and drive away. Joy handed the omnoculars to all of them. Harry was handed his omnocular, and once he received it, he adjusted the lens to look out his small window.   
  
With the omnoculars and the height above the castle, Harry had an excellent view of the grounds. A thick layer of cotton-white snow covered the cold yards around the mighty school. He could see icy hills in the distance, and a blizzard-stricken Forbidden Forest at the edge of the dark and snowy horizon. The sky was a deep ocean of darkness with twinkling stars and a glowing moon dominating the sky. It was clear to see that it was a wonderful winter night.  
  
In the corner of his omnocular lens, he could see a tiny carriage riding on the main path to the entrance, where a tiny figure of Dumbledore with three guards were waiting.   
  
"Joy! Ron! Hermione! The carriage is coming!" shouted Harry as he pointed to the carriage coming forth. All of them held up their omnoculars, turned to his direction and watched the carriage drive to the entrance and stop. Once the carriage had stopped, the guards helped Dumbledore into the carriage.  
  
Harry looked at the tiny dot that was in the driver's seat of the carriage. He adjusted his omnocular to look closer, and he could see that there was a man covered in wool robes in the driver's seat. He had a stern face on, and he had a bit of a peculiar look in his eyes. This man was obviously working for Malfoy and Voldemort.  
  
He looked a lot closer at the carriage. It was nicely decorated, and it bore the Hogwarts coat of arms. Harry saw that it was quite strange that the carriage wasn't quite attached to the driver's seat. The seat where the driver was sitting was a small bench with four long rods and wheels which made it elevated to the two large, brown horses. The carriage was connected to the bench by a kind of hook or lock.   
  
The guards hopped into the carriage and closed the door. The driver drove the carriage off onto the path and on their way to Mr. Fudge.  
  
"The carriage is going," said Harry. "Ron, follow them!"  
  
Ron pushed down on the pedal, and away flew the via-mobile, chasing after the carriage from high-up in the air. The flew over the paths and yards of snowy land under the dark sparkling sky of mid-February. Ron drove on for almost half an hour from which they were a long way from Hogwarts. Harry's eyes were getting a bit sore from looking into the omnoculars, and he was becoming a bit bored. Both the girls were getting a bit tired, while Ron was completely tense at the wheel. It was then, half an hour later, when Harry noticed something strange about the driver. He was talking into some little screen which he had never seen before.  
  
"Joy?"   
  
"Yes, Harry?" responded Joy, yawning and rubbing her eyes.  
  
"Do you know what that screen is that the driver is holding?"  
  
"Let me take a look," she said, as she focused her omnoculars onto the driver. "Oh, it's a telescreen!"  
  
"What's that?" asked Harry.  
  
"A telescreen is one of the many inventions that have been invented in Wizard Italy. It's like a telephone, except that you talk to a screen instead of into little holes in the phone. I wonder why the driver would have one. They're quite expensive."  
  
"Can you look to see who the driver is talking to?" asked Harry.  
  
Joy adjusted the omnocular to look closer. Once she got a sight of who the driver was talking to, she opened her eyes in shock.  
  
"It's Malfoy!" she shouted. "He's talking to Malfoy!!!!"   
  
"So the driver is one their side! I knew it!"  
  
"Ron, pay close attention to any sudden moves that driver is going to make," instructed Joy. "He's talking to Malfoy on his telescreen, so he's bound to be up to no good."   
  
"A tele- what?" asked Ron.  
  
"I'll tell you later. Just keep an eye on that driver."  
  
Ron did keep an eye on the mysterious driver. After a few minutes, he had noticed something suspicious about the driver.  
  
"Hey, guys!" he called out, staring closer at the driver. "This dude is making a strange turn here."  
  
A strange turn it was indeed, since the turn was rather drastic. The driver was going alongside a mountain. On purpose (although he made it seem like it was an accident), he drove right into the side of the cliff, and made an extremely sharp turn to the bend of the road. The turn was so sharp and so violent that the carriage (that was barely attached to the driver's seat by a lock) had gone on the side of the mountain and had flipped - twice!   
  
The doors tore off from the jagged and rocky mountains and all the guards fell out. They either suffered a terrible fall or had banged against the mountain. Either way, they were all unconscious. Because of the horrible friction from the icy path and rocky mountainside, the carriage had torn apart. All that remained of the carriage was a large, rough plank of the wood of the carriage, that Professor Dumbledore was clinging onto for dear life. He was in total shock and was terror-stricken.  
  
"OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!" shouted Princess Joy in choking tears. "OH MY GOODNESS!! LOOK AT THE CARRIAGE!!!! IT'S GONE!!!! WE'VE GOT TO SAVE PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE!!!!!"  
  
Harry was almost as shocked as Joy ('almost as shocked', not 'as shocked', considering that he kind of knew that the driver would do something ruthless, and because Joy was shouting with terror). He stared through his omnoculars in fright at the horrible scene below him and his friends.  
  
"Ron, go down and save Dumbledore!" shouted Hermione, pointing at Dumbledore below them.  
  
"I can't!" Ron replied back. "I don't know how!"  
  
"Why didn't I listen to Ron?" questioned Joy to herself. "I would be able to save him!"  
  
"Just go down, Ron!" instructed Harry. "We can't blame you for taking this kind of action."  
  
Ron was scared stiff, as scared as he was when he came face to face with the giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest in their 2nd year.   
  
Quickly, Ron drove the via-mobile downwards until it was hovering slightly above the path. Harry had wondered if Dumbledore might see them, but then he remembered that the via-mobile was invisible.   
  
"Lower the window so we can hear anything they're saying," instructed Joy.   
  
With the push of a button, Ron brought down all the windows. Bitter-cold air entered the vehicle, but they were too busy worrying about Dumbledore and catching anything he or the driver would say to notice the cold draft. They could hear Dumbledore screaming and shouting for help, which made them ache inside. The Headmaster tried to pull himself up from the large piece of wood.  
  
"CAN YOU PLEASE STOP THE CARRIAGE, SIR?" shouted Professor Dumbledore as he tried to grip at the carriage's lock. "I'M FALLING OFF!!!! HELP!"  
  
"You're not going to be having any help, Albus!" said the driver, looking back at Dumbledore. "No one's going to help you, and the only time this carriage is going to stop is if you fall off!"  
  
An evil chuckle was heard from the horrible driver. Dumbledore took out his wand from his robes, trying to create a spell until the driver reached out his hand and took away Dumbledore's wand.  
  
"You won't be needing this, Dumbledore!" chuckled the driver, as he tucked it into his pocket. He took out his own wand and waved it around. "Lockus Dumbledorio!"  
  
At the tip of the plank of wood near the lock where Dumbledore's hands were, two thick metal cuffs (attached to the metal near the lock) appeared. They clamped Dumbledore's hand to the plank, enabling him to move much. He tried pulling his hands from the handcuffs, but they wouldn't come out, and the handcuffs were stuck into the metal of the carriage's lock. The driver cackled loudly, as all four of the students witnessed the horrible sight from a distance along the path.   
  
"We should catch up to them. Hurry!" shouted Hermione.  
  
Ron pushed the pedal, and the via-mobile caught up to the broken carriage. They were just a few feet away from Dumbledore, dangling from the plank of wood with his hands cuffed to the lock. Suddenly, the plank broke off and crumbled under the wheels of the driver. The handcuffs were still attached to the medal connecting to the lock, so Dumbledore was being dragged in the path. He suffered many cuts and bruises from the rugged and frigid ground underneath him. The ice and snow had given him frostbites and the friction was ripping his robes. Joy couldn't stand the sight of it, but she tried to stay strong. It seemed to Harry as if she might cry.  
  
The via-mobile and carriage driver (well, it wasn't quite a carriage anymore) were both approaching a snowy path beside a large and dark forest, which looked a lot like the Forbidden Forest.   
  
"This is probably Batingham Forest," stated Hermione.  
  
The forest was a lot bigger than the Forbidden Forest though, and a lot darker. A light mist could be seen hovering above the cold forest floor. Millions of pairs of eyes gleamed through the giant trees, which frightened the four students greatly. Ron looked closer at the driver ahead.   
  
"He's making a turn into the forest," remarked Ron.  
  
The driver made a violent turn into the forest, knocking Dumbledore into many trees. Ron followed the driver into the dark depths of the woods. The driver drove with twists and turns until he drove into a large circular space, surrounded by large trees which blocked most of the circle except for four spaces. The handcuffs which clamped Dumbledore disappeared, releasing Dumbledore into the circle with a painful fall. The driver drove off, leaving Dumbledore alone in the circle.   
  
Ron was about to drive into the large space, until strange cloaked figures had apparated into the space, blocking Ron's via-mobile. Harry and his friends glared at the strange figures, and figured out that the strange figures were Death Eaters, armed with their wands. Badly hurt, Dumbledore stumbled up. He glared at the approaching Death Eaters with horror and fright. He tried to step away, but he was surrounded. They approached him very slowly, but Dumbledore tried to call out.  
  
"Please, do not hurt me!" he pleaded. "I haven't done anything wrong!"  
  
The Death Eaters ignored his plea and chuckled, but Harry couldn't take it anymore. Everyone else in the vehicle was petrified in fright.  
  
"We have to save him!" said Harry, as he unbuckled himself and got out of his seat. "Come on!"  
  
All of them leaped out of the via-mobile. Right before Ron was going to beam the vehicle up with his BCB, Joy grabbed his shoulder and pulled him aside.  
  
"Ron, I need you to go back and rescue the guards," said Joy. "Go drive back to where they are and use a charm to heal them. Oh, and if something bad happens, I just want to tell you that I love you."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Of course. Now hurry up and leave!"  
  
As Ron drove off, the rest of them took out their wands and headed to Dumbledore's rescue. Right before any of the Death Eaters could lay a hand on Dumbledore, Harry and his friends ran in.   
  
"Don't you dare do anything to Professor Dumbledore!" shouted Harry, pointing his wand to the Death Eaters, with his friends ready with their wands behind him.  
  
"If it isn't famous Harry Potter and his little gang," snickered one of the masked wizard. "They even have Princess Joy with them! Now we get to murder 3 wizards and witches!"  
  
"I wouldn't be so sure about that!" said Joy with a little smirk, as she approached the Death Eater and disarmed them, knocking his wand out of his hand with a spell.   
  
"Death Eaters, get them!" shouted the masked wizard, as tens and tens of Death Eaters leaped into the space and attacked them.   
  
The three battled them with charms and tried to find Dumbledore. After knocking out several Death Eaters, Harry found Dumbledore against a tree with three Death Eaters beating him with their wands and fists. Harry was horrified at what they were doing to his poor Headmaster, and hurried to Dumbledore's rescue.  
  
"Alto-rictusempra!" shouted Harry, casting the spell on the Death Eaters.  
  
Three large beams shot out of his wand and hit the wizards, making them unconscious. Once they were down, Harry hurriedly ran to Dumbledore. Dumbledore lay against the bare tree, bleeding with bad injuries. He looked up and saw Harry, and his eyes glared in happiness and shock. He gripped onto Harry for support, as he tried to get up.  
  
"H-h-harry," he stuttered, "w-what are you d-d-doing h-here?"  
  
"I don't have time to tell you, but you have to save yourself. Go and hide out of this space. I'll try and keep an eye on you."  
  
Dumbledore nodded and sped off into the bare trees. Harry attacked the Death Eaters from the spot he was standing, glaring to make sure Dumbledore was okay. Harry received some bad wounds, including a very deep cut in his arm. Even so, he managed to stop very many Death Eaters.   
  
He watched Hermione and Joy battle and were quite shocked. Hermione was very good at her battling spells, but Joy was a whole entire different story. The sweet and beautiful Princess had suddenly turned into a strong warrior. She used her wand as if she had used it her whole life (realizing that she only got her wand at 11 years old), and whipped her charms as if it was an art form.  
  
After a long time with ten more Death Eaters attacking them, Ron ran into the space with the guards and a few Aurors. All these guards and Aurors attacked and handcuffed the Death Eaters. A few minutes later, the area was swarmed by Aurors and their Auror wizard-trucks. The knocked-out Death Eaters were put into a large truck where they were laid down on stretchers, and the others were put in Auror cars or trucks, where they would all be taken to Azkaban.   
  
Dumbledore had appeared into the clear area and collapsed. Many people rushed to him, and he was quickly put on a stretcher. Once he came around to being awake, he was treated for his wounds and was asked about what happened. Harry walked to his friends in astonishment to what happened that night.  
  
"Wow, I can't believe we attacked most of those Death Eaters by ourselves," said Harry.  
  
"I know," agreed Hermione. "I never knew I could fight like that."  
  
"I couldn't believe how you and Joy battled. It was amazing, especially Joy. Joy, you turned into a warrior woman!"  
  
Joy giggled at the remark, but remained silent.  
  
"All of you did a great job," said Ron. "When I came in with those guards and Aurors, I could not believe what all of you had done."  
  
"You also did a great job of getting the guards and Aurors, Ron!" said Hermione. "Without you, the Death Eaters might not have gone to Azkaban."  
  
"I didn't really send for the Aurors though. The guards had these kind of... screen gizmos..."  
  
"They're called telescreens," corrected Harry.   
  
"Anyway, the guards called up the Aurors for backup. Now I know what those... telescreens... are used for."  
  
"Good, so now we can go back to the via-mobile," said Hermione.  
  
They started walking to Ron's via-mobile, until one of the Aurors stopped them. He looked like a kind wizard, but they were still a bit scared about why he had stopped them.  
  
"I'm sorry to disturb any of your plans," said the Auror, "but we need you all for questioning."  
  
They all let out a moan, as the Auror brought them to a few other Aurors with quills and notepads. They asked them all questions such as: "Why had you come to rescue Professor Dumbledore?", "How did you leave Hogwarts?", "What have you seen tonight?", and many more. Harry felt a bit tense at the questioning, for he was a bit apprehensive if they tried to question something that would be too secret to reveal.  
  
Once the questioning was over, Ron beamed up his via-mobile into his BCB and all four of them were driven back to Hogwarts by one of the Aurors. Witches and wizards never really used vehicles, unlike muggles, but all of them had found out that vehicles were becoming more popular among the wizard folk instead of brooms and carriages.   
  
"I say it's about time our kind used automobiles," said the Auror. "Those brooms were quite uncomfortable to fly on, and the carriages are too slow. But of course, there are still going to make brooms and carriages for a very long time."   
  
The friendly Auror drove off into the cold night along the icy path to their Hogwarts castle, with another Auror behind them with Professor Dumbledore. All four of them were quiet during the ride back to Hogwarts, though Joy remained eerily silent and "tuned-out" during the entire time.   
  
The wizard-like vehicles stopped in front of the entrance to the school, and dropped the students and professor off. Professor Dumbledore, looking extremely stunned at what had happened that night, was badly hurt and was quite grateful to the students, lead them to the Hospital Wing where Madame Pomfrey took care of their injuries. Harry sat on one of the hospital beds in the Infirmary, and waited until Madame Pomfrey came to his aid (she spent most of her time with Dumbledore's injuries). Right after she had finished putting some Bruise-Be-Gone Lotion on Hermione's arm, she hurried to Harry's side. She examined the wounds Harry had received. Most of them were just small cuts and bruises, but the worst one was the extremely deep cut going down Harry's arm.   
  
"My goodness!" cried Madame Pomfrey, looking at the cut. "This cut looks horrible!"  
  
"Yes, I know," agreed Harry shyly. "It's rather deep."  
  
"Deep indeed! It covers most of your arm. It's very open, dear. Large cuts like these can get bacteria, causing awful infections, which sometimes leads to poison!"  
  
"Poison?"  
  
"Yes, dear. I'm going to put some disinfectant on the cut, stitch this up and then bandage it."  
  
"Stitch it up?" questioned Harry, who was quite skittish at the idea of stitches. He had never gotten stitches (mostly because the Dursleys hadn't cared for his health), and was anxious about the idea.   
  
"Oh don't worry, it won't hurt that much."  
  
Madame Pomfrey rushed into the Infirmary's supply room, and came out with two large bottle of disinfectant and water, 3 large swabs (which were at least 5 times bigger than the usual ones), bandages and a medical sewing kit. She laid everything down near the table beside the bed. She quickly took one of the giant swabs and put some water on it. She wiped the cut with the swab, trying to clean it.   
  
Harry gazed around the large Hospital Wing, looking to see if his friends had already gone. There was no sign of Dumbledore, and he could see his three friends folding their winter wear and carrying it to the door. Hermione looked back at Harry to see what he was doing.  
  
"Wow, that looks like a nasty cut," said Hermione, peaking at his large cut.   
  
"Yeah, it really stings- OUCH!" he cried, as Madame Pomfrey wiped the rubbing alcohol on his cut, which burned badly.  
  
"That must really hurt. Will it be a while for you to be finished?"  
  
"10 minutes at the most. Madame Pomfrey is going to stitch up my cut."  
  
"I hope everything goes well. We'll be in the common room putting our coats and stuff away. Afterwards, we have to go to Professor Dumbledore's office; he wishes to speak to us. We'll wait for you there, all right?"  
  
"All right."  
  
All of his friends waved goodbye to him and exited the Hospital Wing. He wondered what Professor Dumbledore would tell them in his office. He gulped in fear as he saw Madame Pomfrey taking out the medical needle and thread. He tried to find something that would take the idea of the painful stitching off his mind. Right across the room from him he saw Cho sleeping silently in her bed. He gazed at his beautiful girlfriend. She looks like an angel, he though to himself.  
  
Suddenly, she started moving a bit, her eyes rolling around. She opened her eyes and blinked. She got up by leaning her forearm underneath her and stared at Harry, surprised to see him there.  
  
"Harry, you're here," she said in shock. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I needed Madame Pomfrey to take care of my cut, and a few other wounds."  
  
"The cut looks awful!" she said in worry. "Madame Pomfrey's going to stitch it up?"  
  
"Yeah, she is," he said, glaring in horror at the approaching needle.   
  
He bit his lip very hard as the needle slid into his skin. It felt like tiny, stinging punctures diving numerous times into his skin, with a tense and tightening feeling from the thread. It was painful, but not as painful at he thought. He yelped every time the needle went into his skin. Cho looked at him in sympathy.  
  
"It hurts, doesn't it?" she asked him sweetly.  
  
"Yeah, it does - Ow!"  
  
"I had stitches before. I got my appendix removed a year before I started Hogwarts, and once I had to get an injury stitched up when I was about 5 years old. I was trying to climb my neighbour's fence, which was sharp at the top, and I ended up cutting my knee and falling on my back. I was asleep during the appendix operation, but I wasn't when I got the cut on my knee."  
  
"Ow!" yelped Harry. "Poor you. Ow!"   
  
"It's all right."  
  
"Ow! So why- Ow!- did you wake up? Ow!" asked Harry in concern.  
  
"I had a large snack right before bed, and I guess my stomach hasn't recovered. I took some medicine to calm my stomach ache, but I still feel a bit uncomfortable."  
  
"Don't worry- Ow!- you'll feel -Ow!- better in the -Ow!- morning."  
  
"There, done!" said Madame Pomfrey, putting away the needle and thread. "Now all we have to do is put some more disinfectant on it, and then bandage it all up." She quickly took another swab, dabbed it with disinfectant, and smeared it on his cut, which burned mercilessly. Madame Pomfrey covered his arm in a wrapped bandage and tightened it up with a pin. "Finished!"  
  
"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey!" said Harry gladly, as he stood up and picked up his winter wear.  
  
"I forgot to ask you, Harry, how did you get those injuries?" asked Cho.  
  
"It's a long story. I'll tell you later," he said, walking to the door.  
  
*****  
  
After Harry and his friends had put their stuff away, they headed to Professor Dumbledore's office. Like before, Joy said the password, which made the gargoyle statue come to life, revealing a spiralling staircase moving upwards as they all jumped on it, which lead them to Dumbledore's office door. Ron knocked on the door, and a friendly, "Come in!" from Dumbledore let them inside as they walked to the Headmaster's desk shyly.   
  
"What did you want to speak to us about, Professor Dumbledore?" enquired Hermione.  
  
Professor Dumbledore, who was bandaged up so much that he looked like a mummy, took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.   
  
"Tonight was am absolutely awful night, one that might give me nightmares for years to come. Not only did I have to re-schedule my meeting with the Minister, but I could have really... been... murdered... tonight. I had no idea what was happening when I was clinging on for dear life to the last remaining piece of the carriage, and once my wand was taken away and my hands were clamped with handcuffs, I understood what was happening to me."  
  
"Did you get your wand back?" asked Ron.  
  
"Yes I have, and it was very kind of you to ask. They captured the driver of the carriage. His name was Sam Rovershire, whose family had ties with Lord Voldemort not long ago. They found out he had my wand, and they gave it back to me," he said, holding up his wand.   
  
"To continue. I felt the most scared of my life this night, and I felt utter doom when those... wizards... were approaching me. Alas, when Harry, Joy and Hermione had come to my rescue, I was not just confused and shocked, but glorified. When Ron came with the guards and Aurors, I knew that for sure my life would be saved. Thank you, all of you, so very much, for saving me from a terrible and painful death."   
  
He gave them all such a smile, that they all knew that he was extremely thankful, and they were happy to have done the good deed.  
  
"However, you did break many school rules. If it wasn't for saving my life, I would have given you all detention. However, you went beyond your limits to save another's life. For this, Gryffindor will be given 55 points for each of you students, and you will all be given special awards."  
  
They all cheered in excitement, hugging each other that they had all received awards. They all screamed out, "Thank you" to Professor Dumbledore, and it took them a while to calm down. Professor Dumbledore gave them all a warm smile, and cleared his throat, for he still had more to say.  
  
"If I may ask, how did you get the notion of following me to see what was wrong?"  
  
"I had a premonition," Joy said shyly.  
  
"Really? That something wrong was going to happen?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, that premonition saved my life. Joy, I'd like to talk to you about being so worried about me," he said, which made the smile on Joy's face not so big.   
  
"Joy, you have got to stop worrying about me. I thank you greatly for what you did, but you could have been badly hurt. Please, do not put yourself, and others in danger to try and save me. You are the one who needs to live long. You cannot risk your life so often."  
  
"But Nono, I didn't get hurt badly," said Joy to Dumbledore. "I'm almost a Magic Monarch, for crying out loud! I'm stronger than almost everyone! I conquered Lord Voldemort! I'm powerful enough to save anybody! You don't have to be concerned for me."  
  
"Joy, I just don't want you risking so much. It's wonderful what you are doing, I just sometimes become afraid if something bad will happen to you. I'm afraid something horrible will happen to you and it'll go without being noticed by you. I just want you to be careful! What if all those horrible wizards turned on you? What if it was only you there? It would be tens and tens against one. You could be defeated!"  
  
"I'm strong enough, Nono! I couldn't let them kill you! I didn't want to lose you!!!"  
  
A few tears streamed down Joy's cheek. Dumbledore stood up from his chair and hugged his great-great-great-granddaughter tightly.   
  
"I'll talk you tomorrow, all right, Princess? All the stuff I said goes to you three too. I think you all should go to bed. It's quite late. I am even too tired to carry on the night."  
  
They all nodded, understanding his wishes, and rushed to their dormitories and went to bed. Harry still couldn't realize how close Dumbledore was of being murdered. He drifted off into sleep, his mind replaying the horrible night.  
  
Author's Note: I think I'm going to start doing the recaps of the previous chapter at the beginning. Anyway, next chapter's called: Secrets. The school finds out what happens, the bunch get their awards, and some secrets are exchanged. PLLLLEEEEAAASSSEEEE RREEEEEVVVVIIIEEEWWWW!!!!!!!!!! 


	17. Secrets

Chapter 17  
  
Secrets  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Otherwise, I wouldn't be writing on fanfiction.net  
  
Author's Note: Hey people! For recap: Harry and his friends overheard a conversation between Malfoy and Voldemort to kill Dumbledore, and they went to tell Dumbledore right away. They thought they'd be able to prevent the attack of Death Eaters to kill Dumbledore, but alas, the attack still happened. However, Harry and his friends followed Dumbledore in Ron's via-mobile and saved Dumbledore from his murder. Now they're back at Hogwarts. Read on and find out what happens!   
  
It didn't take too long for the news of the attempted attack on Professor Dumbledore to be heard from every witch or wizard in the castle. The minute Harry had woken up and gone down to the common room, there was an enormous crowd of already-woken Gryffindors waiting there. As he took one step down the stairs into the room, loud cheers and applause welcomed him, and all the Gryffindors rushed to him in excitement, treating him like a hero. This happened four times for each of the four who saved Dumbledore from the Death Eaters.   
  
With a large crowd of cheering Gryffindors behind them, the four friends walked to the Great Hall, with various cheers and applause in the hallways. When they entered the Great Hall, a round of welcoming cheers echoed around the large room. A large sign was put up in the Great Hall, reading:   
  
'WELCOME BACK, PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE!  
  
GREAT JOB, PRINCESS JOY, HARRY POTTER, RONALD WEASLEY AND HERMIONE GRANGER!  
  
YOU'RE HOGWARTS' HEROES!'  
  
Harry smiled once he read the sign. A Hogwarts hero... It had been a long time since he had been called that, and he was happy to be praised with his three friends.  
  
"We're heroes, Harry!" said Ron in amazement, his face lit up with joy.  
  
"Wow," said Hermione, who was blushing with excitement.  
  
"Come on," said Harry. "Let's go join the Gryffindor table."  
  
The four of them sat down at the table, with more compliments given from their peers. Blinding lights surrounded Harry, as he found out that Colin Creevey and his brother Dennis were snapping photos of him.   
  
After Harry and his friends ate their breakfast (which was a bit hard, considering that everyone was asking them so many questions), Dumbledore rose from his chair and called for silence, which he received quickly.  
  
"Good morning to you all!" he greeted. "I expect that you know all about what had happened last night. As you all know, I received a threat of... murder... a few days ago. Even with all the top security, my visit to Mr. Fudge was still unsuccessful. For further and more accurate information, you may check in The Daily Prophet. If it wasn't for four brave students, I would have suffered a horrible death. These students are of course," he said, pointing to the big sign above him, "Princess Joy, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger from Gryffindor House."  
  
Hands clapping in applause were heard from every corner of the room. Ron and Hermione were gloating, Harry was absolutely happy and Joy gave them all one of her famous smiles.  
  
"Because of their heroic deeds, each of them will be given Special Awards for Services to the School."  
  
At that moment, Professor Dumbledore waved his wand onto a small table in front of him.   
  
"Prixo apparatus!" he shouted, as four large awards with each of their names on them, and four medals laid on the table. Everyone cheered while glaring in awe at the beautiful trophies.   
  
"Would these four wonderful students come up to the front, please?"  
  
Harry, Joy, Hermione and Ron rushed to the front of the Great Hall and stood in front of the table. Harry glared at his shining trophy, which stated:  
  
'SPECIAL AWARDS FOR SERVICES TO THE SCHOOL  
  
HARRY J. POTTER, 6TH YEAR  
  
1996-19997'  
  
Harry remembered when he and Ron had received awards in their 2nd year, but they never received them like they did that day, and neither did they get medals.  
  
"The presentation of the awards is actually a new tradition we have brought to Hogwarts, which came from Professor Luigi," he said. Everyone applauded for Professor Luigi, the smiling teacher who stood up and took a bow. "He told us this is what they usually do at Nero Gatto Academy. They keep the awards in the school, yet they give medals or miniature trophies to the winners.   
  
"There are also photographers from The Daily Prophet who will be taking pictures," he said, pointing at the photographers with their cameras in their hands. Colin and Dennis grinned in awe at them. "Now without further ado, I'd like to give these medals out. To Princess Joy."  
  
Joy walked in front of Professor Dumbledore as he laid the ribbon of the medal around her neck and shook her hand. A round of flashing lights took pictures of the Princess. She stepped aside so the next person could go up.  
  
"To Hermione Granger," he said, as Hermione walked to him. He gave the medal to her, putting it around her neck and shaking her hand (which was trembling in excitement). More pictures were taken.   
  
"To Harry Potter." Harry, with a smile, walked toward the grinning Headmaster, who lowered the medal onto his neck, and gave him a hearty handshake.   
  
He looked around the Great Hall at everyone in the room. Everyone was cheering for him, except the Slytherin table (especially Malfoy and his friends who were sneering in anger). Surprisingly, Princess Glory and her four friends applauded very much. He even saw Cho with Madame Pomfrey at the door. She applauded loudly and blew Harry a kiss, which made him blush dearly. Flashes and flashes of light were seen from every angle. Harry wished Remus was there... and if only his parents and Sirius were there too...  
  
Harry noticed he was wasting his time, and walked to the side.  
  
"To Ronald Weasley," said Professor Dumbledore, as Ron went up to him, received his medal, shook Dumbledore's hand and walked to the side. He was positively glowing.   
  
"I present to you Hogwarts' heroes!"  
  
Cheers and more cheers were heard all around the Great Hall, and a bright smile could have been seen across Harry's face. For once, all my friends and I are heroes together, he thought.  
  
*****  
  
Harry, Joy, Hermione and Ron were given nothing but compliments and congratulations that week. Harry felt very proud for his friends, and quite glad that they had the chance to save Dumbledore from his terrible murder. Harry read a large article in The Daily Prophet about what had happened the evening that Dumbledore was attacked, and about the awards given to Harry and his friends. He read closely the part of the article when he and his friends were mentioned when they saved Dumbledore:   
  
...Just when Dumbledore thought that he was cornered, and that his death was near, three courageous students from Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry (the fourth one came later) ran into the gaping space in the forest. These students were none other than Princess Joy, Professor Dumbledore's great-great-great-granddaughter, Hermione Granger, a Gryffindor girl at the top of her class, and Harry Potter, the famous hero of the wizarding world and 'the boy-who-lived'. With their wands held up high in their hands, they battled the furious masked witches and wizards victoriously. After several minutes, Harry rescued Dumbledore from a couple of masked wizards in a corner and told him to hide into the woods.  
  
"I had already battled a few- er..... masked witches and wizards, when I saw Professor Dumbledore against a large tree, badly hurt, with three masked wizards injuring him with their wands and fists," said Harry Potter, who was questioned later on by an Auror. "I couldn't believe my eyes. I rushed to Professor Dumbledore's rescue and cast a duelling spell on the three of them. Dumbledore was stuttering and gasping for air. I told him to save himself, to hide out of where we were battling. I battled more of the wizards afterwards."  
  
Harry, who has come face-to-face with many forms of the Dark Arts, battled victoriously that night. Yet again, the wizarding world's boy hero came to a magnificent rescue again.  
  
Harry blushed at the comment. The wizarding world's boy hero... Finally after accusing him of being an attention-crazed hero wannabe, they gave him recognition. At the bottom of the page, he saw a group picture of Professor Dumbledore, his friends and himself who had just received their awards. Everyone looked so happy in the photo.   
  
Harry turned to the next page, which showed a curious article entitled,  
  
  
  
'ATTEMPTED DUMBLEDORE ASSASSINATION AND OTHER ATTACKS   
  
THOUGHT UP BY HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED'S FOLLOWERS:  
  
NEW AUROR RESEARCH STATES THAT CURRENT ATTACKS HAVE BEEN PLANNED BY DEATH EATERS'  
  
Harry eagerly read the article, wondering what the Aurors found out:  
  
  
  
After the terrible yet unsuccessful attack on Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Aurors had interviews and enquiries to the heroes of the evening, the victim and the masked wizards and witches involved.  
  
"Did you recognize any of the attackers?" asked Henry Richardson, a chief Auror who investigated the scene, to Professor Dumbledore at the interviews.   
  
"No, I'm afraid not," said Professor Dumbledore, who was still a bit stunned by what had happened. "I didn't see their faces at all, because of their masks. Their disguises looked a lot like Death Eater costumes. A few of their voices sounded familiar as well. They sounded like thought-to-be Death Eaters from 16 years ago and from the war."  
  
In fact, a few of them were thought-to-be Death Eaters from 16 years ago and the war, at least twelve of them. A few of these former Death Eaters were Danielle Anderson, George Dinkleham, William Monty, Sam Robertson, Ashley Sint and Montgomery Smith. There were also the children of thought-to-be Death Eaters, and a few others who weren't a part of the follower circle a long time ago, nor from last year. All of these attackers were sent to Azkaban and were questioned further more.  
  
The driver, who lured Dumbledore to the forest, as well as damaging a carriage, was a young man of the name Sam Rovershire,, whose family was thought to be linked with You-Know-Who's inner circle. He was caught later on in the evening, and was brought to Azkaban.  
  
The Aurors' research shows that most of the crimes this year and terrorist attacks were committed by people like this. So, why were there so many Death Eaters at the attack? The Ministry and the Aurors think that the Death Eaters are trying to continue the former Dark Lord's work, or maybe, they are trying to bring back He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.  
  
"Obviously, our research shows that there is a large connection between the attacks this year and You-Know-Who," said Remus Lupin, a chief Auror. "There was, of course, the Dark Mark which appeared at the attack at the Princesses' Birthday Ball. Someone is trying to bring back You-Know-Who or is trying to do his deeds, although we don't know for sure if there is a certain someone who would try and continue his work, and if there was someone trying to bring him back, how could they?"  
  
  
  
Harry smiled at the inclusion of his mentor, Remus. He was so proud that Remus' name was in The Daily Prophet, and that everyone recognized Remus' talents in defence against the Dark Arts. He was glad, also, that the Aurors realized Lord Voldemort was behind all the attacks. So after about 6 months of researching these attacks, thought Harry, they finally find out that Lord Voldemort is behind it all some way or another.   
  
Harry thought to himself about what Remus had said about Lord Voldemort returning: 'and if there was someone trying to bring him back, how would they?' He knew Lord Voldemort was back, one way or another. He had seen Voldemort talking to Malfoy. His scar even burned a few times with anger and frustration a few times that week, as if Voldemort was angry. He's probably mad Dumbledore wasn't killed, he had thought to himself. Even with the proof, how could they have brought Lord Voldemort back to life? It seemed impossible to Harry, but he was willing to find a way.  
  
He passed the day thinking about how Lord Voldemort could have come back to life. Was there a way? And if there was, what was it? Maybe he was never dead in the first place, and Joy and Glory had killed someone pretending to be Lord Voldemort? All these questions swirled in his head during the whole entire day. It was hard to concentrate on anything his friends were saying. He only thought of any possible ways Lord Voldemort, or even anymore, could come back from the dead.  
  
"Joy, we've talked a lot about the scheme concerning Voldemort and Malfoy," said Harry, as him and his friends were walking in the hallways, "but we never discussed how Voldemort came back to life."  
  
"You're absolutely right," admitted Joy.   
  
"So, how would he be able to?" he asked.  
  
"We're not sure in the first place if Voldemort has returned to his original form," added Hermione. "We've only seen shadows and silhouettes of him."  
  
"That's true," admitted Ron.  
  
"But my scar has been burning this week," said Harry, feeling his scar. "Remember that I can sometimes feel Voldemort's feelings?"  
  
"That's true too," said Ron.  
  
"Maybe it's just warning you that he's somewhere near us," suggested Hermione. "It even burned in our first year, Harry, and remember he was attached to Quirrell, not in original form?"  
  
"I think it was him feeling something," said Harry. "It felt as if he was angry and frustrated, probably that his plans to destroy Dumbledore had failed."  
  
"That is possible, but even a formless thing can have feelings, can it?" implied Ron.   
  
Harry and his friends walked in the corridors leading to the common room, when he spotted Glory talking to her friends. He noticed that Glory wasn't with Malfoy at the time, and he wondered why she wasn't with her boyfriend. While walking in the hallway, Harry and Glory happened to collide into each other by accident.   
  
They both fell on the floor after banging into each other, their school bags and books flew into the air and dropped. It took a few seconds for Harry to realize what had happened. He picked up his books from the floor and swung his bag on his back.   
  
He saw that Glory was still on the floor, trying to retrieve her books, and was being helped by her friends. Harry decided to pick up the few of her remaining books on the floor, and he gave her his hand to stand up. Glory recognized Harry's extended hand, and looked delighted and blushed at the polite gesture. She grabbed his hand as he helped her up, and he handed her the books he picked off the floor.  
  
"Thank you so much, Harry!" she said blushing. "Thank you very much."  
  
"No problem," said Harry. He was thankful that Glory wasn't ruthless at the moment. "Where's Malfoy?"  
  
"Oh..." she said, trailing off. Her four friends looked at each other, their eyebrows raised. "Well, I'm just a bit mad at him at the moment," she admitted. "I'm a bit disappointed in him. The driver that night was a friend of Malfoy's father, and I couldn't believe he knew the driver who was in the plot to... to destroy..."  
  
Glory didn't continue her sentence, and she looked down at her shoes with a glum voice.  
  
"I'm sure everything will get better with time," said Harry, not knowing what he said really meant, and if he really meant it.  
  
"Thank you," said Glory shyly. "I guess I'll see you around?"  
  
"Of course," he said, as he watched her and her friends walk away.   
  
*****  
  
"I don't get it! What happened?" asked Harry.  
  
"She's extremely sick," said Hermione. "She's in complete pain, has a high fever, she's weak... Whatever you name, she has it!"   
  
"How could this have happened?" questioned Ron.  
  
"I have no idea," responded Hermione.  
  
They were discussing what they had found out that morning when they were in the Great Hall: Joy was extremely ill. No one knew what virus she had, nor did they know how she got the virus. All they knew was that Joy wouldn't be attending classes for a while, but Hermione was told that she still wanted notes and homework from all the classes.  
  
"She's terribly sick in bed," said Ron. "She shouldn't be doing homework!"  
  
"There's nothing wrong about not wanting to fall behind!" scolded Hermione.  
  
The bell rang, signalling the start of the school day. Harry, Ron and Hermione headed on their way to Herbology. On the way there, Harry was stopped by a hand pulling him to the side. He found out it was Tiffany Sealious, Glory's freckled, cherry-blonde haired friend.   
  
"Hello, Tiffany," greeted Harry, who was quite startled. "What is it?"   
  
"I'm sorry for pulling you over like this, but I needed to talk to you," she said in a whisper. "Actually, the others and I need to talk to you."  
  
"You mean, Ruth, Lucy, Vicky and you?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yes! We need to talk to you concerning... concerning Glory."  
  
Harry was surprised at what he heard.   
  
"What about her?" he asked curiously.  
  
"You've noticed that she's been acting strange these past months, right?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Well, the three and I know that you and your friends are always investigating crimes and things like that," she explained. "You're probably researching the reasons for those attacks, aren't you?"  
  
Yet again, Harry was in shock. He was surprised they knew.  
  
"Yes, yes we are."  
  
"You see, Ruth, Vicky, Lucy and I researched ourselves, and we found out everything."  
  
"Everything?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yes, everything. We found out Princess Glory's secret. It's absolutely horrible. No wonder she's been acting so strange! Anyway, we wanted to tell the Aurors, but we're afraid. We thought it better to tell you."  
  
Harry couldn't believe his ears. All the things that they were busting their brains to find out, they knew!  
  
"What exactly are the things you found out?" he asked.  
  
"Everything about Malfoy, You-Know-Who trying to gain power by the Monarchy, the kidnappings, how You-Know-Who returned from the dead - everything!"So Voldemort did come back from the dead! he thought.   
  
"What are all these secrets?" he asked eagerly.  
  
"I can't tell you right now," she said. "We wanted to meet you and your friends in the Room of Requirement, at 5 o'clock today. You know where the Room of Requirement is, right?"  
  
"Of course, I used it last year," he said.  
  
"Great, I'll see you then!" she said happily, skipping to class.  
  
Harry smiled and rushed to Herbology, which he had just made the bell and wasn't late. It was hard for him to concentrate during class. He just had to speak to his friends about it. And Joy! He wished he could speak to Joy, but she was too ill; there could be a chance he could catch what she had!  
  
After class while Harry and Ron were on their way to Divinations (which was a helplessly boring class) and Hermione was on her way to Muggle Studies, Harry told Hermione and Ron all about what Tiffany Sealious had told him.  
  
"You mean, she knows how Voldemort has come back to life?" questioned Hermione eagerly.  
  
"Exactly! She also told me that it's absolutely horrible and it's no wonder why Glory's acting so strange."  
  
"How can you not?" asked Ron. "Her boyfriend is working against her to bring this awful wizard back to power, right after she went through a whole entire war to get rid of him, and with Death Eaters attacking the world that she'll be reigning someday!"  
  
"Good point, but I don't think she meant that," said Harry.   
  
"Do you think we should tell Joy?" asked Hermione.   
  
"Wouldn't we get her germs?" said Harry.  
  
"Yeah, that's true."  
  
"Maybe we can send an owl to her," said Ron. "I know it sounds weird since we're in the same castle, but it might work. I could get Pig to go and tap at Joy's window and to give a letter to one of her house-elves. They could deliver it to Joy."  
  
"Great idea!" said Hermione. "You know, I'm glad Joy knows how to treat house-elves fairly. There are just so many wealthy people who treat house-elves like vermin."  
  
"Oh no!" shouted Ron in frustration. "You and that SPEW! I thought you were over that."  
  
"I cannot believe you refuse to realize how poorly treated they are!"  
  
"They like being treated like that. They like serving wizards and witches, is that so hard to understand?"  
  
"How would you know? Are you a house-elf?"  
  
Ron should his head, laughing to himself. Hermione scowled at him and turned her head the other way.   
  
Hermione left the two of them and walked to her Muggle Studies class. Harry and Ron climbed up the tower and then up the ladder into the steamy and perfumed classroom of Divinations, with Professor Trelawney sitting at her desk, tapping at her glass ball as she stared into it with her large bug-like eyes. They sat down at a table in the room, as Glory and her friends came in. Tiffany and Lucy Landerville, Glory's blonde pig-tailed friend, quickly walked to Harry and Ron.  
  
"Hello!" greeted Lucy with a smile, flopping her pig-tails around.   
  
"Hi," they said back.  
  
"Did you all talk about the meeting we wanted to have with you?" asked Tiffany in a whisper.  
  
"Yeah, we did," said Ron, who was actually quite excited about the meeting that evening. "We're all excited, but Joy can't attend. She's very ill."  
  
"Oh, we know all about it," said Lucy.  
  
"Glory's really sad about that," added Tiffany.  
  
"That's also something that we're going to talk about at the meeting," said Lucy.  
  
"What about it?" asked Ron suspiciously.  
  
"It has something to do with Glory and everything we'll talk about. It's not a virus or illness she has."  
  
"Then tell us!" shouted Ron, who was eager to know what had happened to his beloved girlfriend.  
  
"Well- Oh, we have to go," said Tiffany, spotting Professor Trelawney standing up and ready to start class. "We'll be waiting at the Room of Requirement!"  
  
Tiffany and Lucy ran back to the table Glory and her friends were sitting at. Ron looked very uncomfortable during that lesson, thinking of what Lucy and Tiffany said. Harry couldn't concentrate either, because he wanted to know everything Tiffany, Lucy, Ruth and Vicky had to say.   
  
When the bell rang, Harry and Ron rushed to meet Hermione who was just coming out of Muggle Studies. She smiled at them, but was quite suspicious at their eager looks.  
  
"Hey, guys! Why did you look so... anxious and eager?"  
  
"We found out something about Joy," said Harry.  
  
"Actually, we found it out from Lucy and Tiffany who found it out," said Ron.  
  
"What did you find out?" she asked.  
  
"We found out that Joy doesn't have a virus or illness," said Harry. "It has something to do with Malfoy, Voldemort and Glory."  
  
"Really?" gasped Hermione. "My goodness! I never knew. We've got to find out! Ron, write what you found out in your letter to Joy you're going to send at lunch, all right?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Do you think Joy knows what she has and how she got it?" asked Harry.  
  
"I don't think so," said Hermione. "One of her house-elves told me about it. They said how horrible she was feeling, and that she was perfectly fine at night and when she woke up, she was dreadfully sick. The house-elf said that Joy couldn't remember a thing of what happened at night."  
  
"It's a good thing those Ravenclaw girls are going to explain this all to us tonight!" said Harry gladly.  
  
"If I find Malfoy did something to her," mumbled Ron, gritting his teeth, "I'll-"  
  
"No, you're not going to do anything," said Hermione. "He'll know that we know his plan. We could be in danger!"  
  
"It feels like I'm always going to be in danger," sighed Harry.   
  
It was true. Every year, whatever he did, Lord Voldemort or some evil Dark Arts were after him. The year before, he found out Lord Voldemort was after him because of a strange prophecy, concerning him and Lord Voldemort, that at the end, one would have to kill the other. Would it be then that he'd find peace? When Voldemort was gone, or when he died? He tried not to think about the subject, and continued listening to the conversation.  
  
"You know, I haven't done much for SPEW lately," stated Hermione.  
  
"You're making it seem like it's a bad thing to not do SPEW!" said Ron.  
  
"Ron, you just don't understand the issue at hand, do you?" questioned Hermione. "I was thinking of setting up a computagram website encouraging witches and wizards around the world to help the cause. I could ask Glory to help set it up, and I'll ask help from Joy when she gets better!"  
  
"Hermione, you realize that you're asking two very important people to help you with one little silly and unimportant thing."  
  
"They're very nice to their house-elves if you haven't noticed."  
  
"And if you haven't noticed," said Harry, "they have hundreds and hundreds of house-elves who do hard work and don't have freedom. They also don't get paid, nor are they given clothes, if you don't count uniforms as clothes, but that's a different story. I found out that the house-elves are given very strict instructions, too."  
  
"But don't you see?" questioned Hermione. "They're not tortured or treated like most house-elves. They get food and things. They're mostly like maids and butlers. Besides, both of them are very nice to them."  
  
"They're nice to everyone!" implied Harry.  
  
"But of course, Glory's nice attitude can change very quickly, including when she's with Malfoy," added Ron.  
  
"That's not the point!" said Hermione. "You don't understand!"  
  
"Hermione, I think you're the one who doesn't understand!"  
  
After they're little debate, they went to their next classes, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Charms, looking at the clock every 5 minutes. Professor Luigi's class was interesting of course (they had just finished learning about dementors are were learning about basilisks, something Harry wish he had learnt in his 2nd year), but it was hard for Harry not to keep his mind on what Tiffany, Ruth, Vicky and Lucy would reveal to them that evening.   
  
In Charms, they learned how to cast Attention Charms. Considering Ron's charms he practiced on Harry weren't very good, Harry still paid attention to what he was thinking. Ron, of course, couldn't keep his mind off of what Voldemort and Malfoy might have done to his girlfriend, which affected his charms.   
  
Once the two last classes of the morning were done, Harry and his friends rushed to the Great Hall, where Ron brought some ink, parchment and a quill. They all discussed what they wanted to put in the letter. After eating their hurried and simple lunch, they followed Ron to the school Owlery where they gave the letter to Pig, Ron's tiny, fluffy and annoying owl, to send to Joy.  
  
"I need you to go to the window of Joy's rooms," said Ron, as he struggled to attach the parchment to its tiny leg as the owl hooted about. "Tap on the window, and give the letter to one of the house-elves. I suppose they'll know what to do with it."  
  
"They're not stupid, Ron!" commented Hermione.  
  
As Ron muttered to himself and gave a dirty look at Hermione, he let go of his puny bird which flew away out of the window. Afterwards, they went to Transfiguration and Potions. Potions was, as usual, the worst class, and it wasn't just because Snape was commenting on Harry about how dreadful his Anti-Nightmare Potion was and how he would never pass his NEWT Potion class. It was the last period, and Harry counted every second left of the class.  
  
After what seemed like hours, the bell rang to finish the school day and Harry and his friends rushed to the common room so they could get ready for their meeting.  
  
"It's a shame Joy's sick," said Hermione. "She should know the stuff they'll tell us."  
  
They quickly put away their books and school things. Ron was going to get parchment, ink and quill to take notes, but then Hermione stopped him from bringing them.  
  
"If anyone found those notes, we could be in big trouble," stated Hermione.  
  
They were just about to leave the common room, excited that they could finally find out Malfoy's schemes, when they heard faint screams.  
  
"What are those sounds?" questioned Ron, who was looking around to find a cause for the noises.  
  
"I don't know," said Hermione. "Maybe Moaning Myrtle is moping around again."  
  
"No, the noise sounds like faint shrill screams, not faint shrill sobs," implied Harry. "Besides, that dreadful ghost has sobbed so many times I think I've memorized her cries by now."  
  
"So true, Harry!" said Ron in a laugh. "So true."  
  
The screams didn't stop, and everyone in the Gryffindor common room was looking in suspicion to find out what the sounds were. As everyone listened attentively, Harry's scar burned with fury. Could those screams have something to do with Lord Voldemort? He thought it best to investigate the sounds. With others exiting the room to investigate in the hallways, Harry and his two friends walked out of the entrance and through a couple of corridors, trying to find the source of the noise. Their search was unsuccessful, so they turned back to where they came from.  
  
"It's probably Peeves pestering a girl," said Ron.  
  
"Let's forget about Peeves' problem for getting on nerves and go to the Room of Requirement," said Harry. "Because of those screams, we're already a few minutes past 4 o'clock."  
  
"You're right," said Hermione. "We should hurry up before it's too late."  
  
Harry thought about what they said. If those screams were from someone being bothered by Peeves, thought Harry, why is my scar burning? He tried to ignore it, wanting to hurry up and go to the Room of Requirement.   
  
They walked through the corridors leading to the Room of Requirement. The Room of Requirement room was quite magical, which Harry had used a few times the year before. It was a room that appeared whenever someone needed it most. The room would always change, depending on the person's needs. If the person needed to go to the washroom, the room would turn into one. If someone needed to hide, it would turn into a broom closet. Harry, his friends, and Glory's four friends needed the room urgently to talk about top secret information, so it was bound to appear. Harry wondered how the room would appear that time.  
  
They had arrived at the corridor of the Room of Requirement, yet alas, it was tightly crowded with teachers and students, as if it was some kind of crime scene. Harry and his friends looked at each other disappointedly. What were they going to do now?  
  
"Great!" shouted Ron sarcastically. "The thing that we were waiting anxiously for the whole entire day is obviously impossible to do. We can't go in the room now! There are students and teachers around it."  
  
"Maybe the four Ravenclaw girls are around here somewhere," said Hermione.  
  
"I don't think so," said Harry. "I wonder why everyone's crowded around here anyway."  
  
"I have no - Oh my goodness!!" shouted Hermione, covering her mouth with her hands.  
  
"What? What's the matter?" questioned Ron.  
  
"I think I know what happened. Follow me!"  
  
She grabbed both of them by the hand and led them to the front of the crowd who surrounded the room. Once at the front, they noticed the door to the room was open, and Madame Pomfrey, Professor Sprout and Professor Dumbledore were in front of the open door. Harry couldn't quite see what was going on inside the room. He could only see a few teachers with stretchers and a few figures lying motionless on the floor.  
  
"Alas, there has been another attack," sighed Professor Dumbledore. "It seems most like the attack on Cho Chang."  
  
Harry's eyes widened as he became more eager to listen. Someone else had been sucked of their magic, energy and blood? He wondered curiously who it was. Cho had already suffered horribly, and that event replayed continuously in his head. He listened carefully to Dumbledore, Pomfrey and Sprout's conversation.  
  
"I just don't understand," said Madame Pomfrey. "It has already happened once. It is such a peculiar way of attacking."  
  
"Its effects seem exactly like the Venimi Monstro, a dangerous plant I taught my 6th-year students this year. I don't think one of those can be roaming the school."  
  
"The Aurors have been reported of the attacks," said Dumbledore. "They think this might have something to do with the Death Eaters."  
  
"But how do these students have anything to do with them?" questioned Madame Pomfrey.  
  
"I suppose they knew something," said Dumbledore. "Something the attackers didn't want them knowing."  
  
"They were intelligent," said Professor Sprout. "One of them was a Ravenclaw prefect. They were very close to Princess Glory. Could that have anything to do with the attacks?"  
  
"It could be," said Dumbledore. "I'll tell the Aurors that."  
  
A few teachers and some 7th-year students came out of the room with four stretchers. On them laid four shrivelled-up and stunned 6th year girls in Ravenclaw robes. Harry's mouth gaped, for he recognized the poor souls.  
  
"Who exactly are these students?" asked Madame Pomfrey, as she gasped at their bodies.   
  
"They're Tiffany Sealious, Ruth Simmore, Vicky Phlumer and Lucy Landerville of Ravenclaw," he sighed.  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione and the students behind them stared at the pruned bodies of the four girls. Harry couldn't believe his eyes. All that top-secret information is lost now, thought Harry. He remembered how Cho couldn't remember anything from the attack, so the four girls probably wouldn't remember what happened either, nor their secrets. He wondered what Glory would say when she saw her friends in that horrible state. If he was horrified at Cho's attack, Glory would probably be horrified as their attacks. He felt so sorry for Glory, and for the four. They seemed like nice people, and they didn't deserve what they got.  
  
"What's going on?" asked a voice from the back.   
  
The person pushed into the front to where Dumbledore was standing. It was Glory, who was looking around in confusion. She had no idea what had happened.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Glory again.   
  
"Glory, I'm afraid we have some bad news about your friends," said Dumbledore.  
  
"What about them?"  
  
"They have been attacked," sighed Dumbledore. "I'm sure you recall the attack on Ms. Cho Chang?"  
  
He pointed at the four girls on the stretchers being carried away to the Hospital Wing. Glory shrieked, her eyes filling up with tears. She shook her head, not realizing it could be true.  
  
"W-what? H-h-how could this be?" she stuttered.  
  
"We think they might have known some secret information about the Death Eaters," said Dumbledore. "Come, I think we should talk about this over a cup of tea, shall we?"  
  
Professor Dumbledore led Glory to his office, while her friends were carried away to the Infirmary. The professors were trying to shoo away students from the scene, but Harry couldn't move or take his eyes off the Ravenclaws on stretchers, nor could Ron or Hermione. If that is what 'they' would do to those who found out too much, how long would it be until Harry, or any of his friends, would be attacked?  
  
*****  
  
"Are there any clues to show who attacked Glory's four friends?" asked Hermione to Ron and Harry in the common room the next day, while she and Ron were doing prefect duties.   
  
"No, I don't think so," said Ron. "I tried to check for clues, but there weren't any at all."  
  
"Do you think we should check again?"  
  
"I tried looking in the Room of Requirement this morning, but I didn't find anything," said Harry. "I guess they made sure that no clues could be found this time."  
  
"I agree about what Dumbledore said," said Ron. "They knew a lot of information, everything in fact! They were even about to tell us."  
  
"But how would whoever's behind Malfoy and Voldemort's scheming find out?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Maybe Malfoy noticed them snooping around and asking Glory a lot of questions," said Ron. "Voldemort also has the power to go into people's minds, remember?"  
  
"That's true," said Harry, remembering the previous year when Lord Voldemort was going through his thoughts, and how Harry was going through his. He shivered at the memory of it. "You know, when I heard those screams, my scar started to burn."  
  
"That's a clue that Voldemort's behind it!" said Ron. "It's just that we're still not sure he's back to his true form. Do you think Malfoy could have done it again?"  
  
"He wasn't anywhere at the attack," added Hermione. "But last time, Malfoy was very strong in his classes and Glory wasn't. Did that happen this time?"  
  
"I don't know," said Harry. "None of us were paying attention."  
  
"That's true," agreed Ron.  
  
"Maybe Malfoy doesn't need Glory's powers anymore," said Hermione. "Maybe he's strong enough without her."  
  
"Are you saying he's becoming as strong as Glory?" gasped Ron.  
  
"No, of course not! You know how strong Glory is, don't you? Remember when she knocked out Cho Chang with that one single punch?"   
  
"Can we not talk about that?" said Harry. He didn't like to remember what Glory did to Cho that day; it was so cruel.  
  
"Anyway, it's not that Malfoy's becoming as strong as Glory. He's probably getting stronger or strong enough to help Voldemort."  
  
"Do you think Voldemort is living off Malfoy like Quirrel?" asked Ron.  
  
"We saw Malfoy and his father talking to Voldemort. He can't be attached to Malfoy, nor his father. Maybe he's being hypnotized, like Ginny. It was reported that a hypnotist was kidnapped. Voldemort could have used it to hypnotize Malfoy."  
  
"I still shiver at the thought of that guy controlling my little sister," said Ron. "I don't think that's the case though. He's so evil that he could have wanted to help Voldemort in the first place. Besides, if his father helped him, why wouldn't he?"  
  
"He's probably power-hungry too," added Harry.  
  
"The only thing we haven't found out is the hex Malfoy used," said Hermione. "Have any ideas?"  
  
"No, I don't think so," said Ron. "Why don't we ask Joy afterwards?"   
  
"That's a good idea," said Hermione, and then she looked down at her watch. "It's almost dinner, we should go to the Great Hall."  
  
"You're right," said Harry. "Let's go."  
  
"Yeah, I'm starving!" said Ron.  
  
Harry and his friends stood up and walked to the Great Hall. As Harry and Ron were talking about the Chudley Cannons game in a few weeks, Harry spotted Glory and Malfoy. Glory was looking down sadly at her shoes. An empathetic feeling swooped over him. Glory didn't need to be abused by Malfoy like that, nor did she need to lose her friends. As Harry looked at Glory more, he felt like he had to do something. At that moment, he made a decision.  
  
"I'm going to tell her," said Harry to his friends.  
  
"Tell what?" asked Ron. "Tell who?"  
  
"I'm going to tell Glory about Malfoy's plans," said Harry.  
  
"Harry, you can't!" said Hermione. "Malfoy's right next to her. He'll find out and you'll be attacked next!"  
  
"And we all know he'll be happy to do that," added Ron.  
  
"I don't care. Glory shouldn't deserve to suffer this."   
  
"He's always trying to be the hero," muttered Hermione to Ron. "I hope he doesn't get into serious trouble because of that someday."  
  
Harry heard them muttering to each other, and couldn't believe what his friends had said. They had said that last year, and it got him in trouble with Lord Voldemort. He didn't care this time though; he was meant to be a hero.   
  
He walked to Glory, who looked up from staring at her large shoes.  
  
"Oh, hi Harry!" she said with a smile spreading across her face.  
  
"Harry, what are you doing here?" scowled Malfoy.  
  
"I wanted to talk to Glory about something," said Harry, looking at Glory.  
  
"The Princess doesn't want to talk with- "  
  
"Of course, Harry! You can talk to me," she said with a grin.  
  
"Great. I wanted to talk to you about your friends, and some other things you should know."  
  
He shot a quick glare at Malfoy to check if he would recognize what Harry was trying to tell her.  
  
"Of course you can tell me! I just wish they hadn't suffered that way...."  
  
Her grin completely wiped off her face, and what seemed to be a tear ran quickly down her face. He felt utterly sorry for her. As Glory tear dropped down the side of her gloomy face, Malfoy stared at her with a depressing look, as if guilty.  
  
He's responsible for it and he knows it! thought Harry. He deserved to feel guilty and awful like that. It was quite a strange look that Malfoy had, Harry had never seen it on him before (considering that all the evil things he had done, he was completely proud of). Malfoy patted her on the back to comfort her.  
  
"Glory, I think I should tell you something too," blurted Malfoy. "I've been keeping this secret from you for too long, and you especially of all people should know. It concerns everything: the attack of your friends, Death Eaters, all of it."  
  
"What do you mean?" questioned Glory in a surprised look.  
  
"Come in this empty classroom and I'll tell you," he said.  
  
Malfoy lead Glory into an empty classroom. Harry couldn't believe his ears. Malfoy was going to tell Glory about his schemes! If only he could listen in, but they had locked the door (it was soundproof), and he couldn't do magic in the corridors. Suddenly, Harry felt a light burning in his scar. He felt a burst of emotion in him, a scared emotion. Lord Voldemort is scared, he thought. He's scared Malfoy's going to tell her all their secrets. But Harry was worried too. He was anxious to see her reaction when she came out of the classroom.   
  
Unexpectedly, a sharp burn was felt in Harry's scar, as he put his hand to his face. He clutched his chest, for he felt a great stress pain. He could feel more of Voldemort's stress, anxiety and shock, and the pain was so horrible that he felt that he couldn't handle it. During the light noises of students rushing to the Great Hall and his overwhelming pain, a piercing scream from the empty classroom was heard, a high-pitched cry as if someone was being murdered. Harry recognized Glory's voice in the shriek, and rushed to the door to meet her out.   
  
Immediately, the heavy door was slammed open, making Harry jump, and out ran Glory crying with her face buried in her hands. She ran through the hallway, probably heading to her room. There was no way Harry could have caught up to her.  
  
As Glory ran through the corridors, Malfoy burst out of the classroom, looking around for Glory.   
  
"Where is she?" questioned Malfoy at Harry rudely.  
  
"She went that way, crying with her hands buried in her face," he said with his arm pointing out in her direction, trying to exaggerate to make Malfoy feel worse.  
  
"Oh great," muttered Malfoy to himself. He ran after her, trying to follow her as much as he could. "Honey, come back!"   
  
Harry turned to Ron and Hermione in the corner, who were completely dumbfounded. They looked at Harry in a gasp.  
  
"He told!" said Ron, who couldn't believe was he had seen. "He, that evil snake, plotted slyly of those horrible attacks, making a mess out of everything, abusing Glory even if she didn't know it, and suddenly when we could have told Glory about what has been happening, Malfoy tells her!"  
  
Harry was insulted at what Ron said.  
  
"'We' could have told Glory?" questioned Harry furiously. "You mean, I was going to tell her. You were the ones who didn't even want me to tell her. After muttering that I'm always trying to be the hero, you make it seem as if it was good what I was going to do."  
  
"It was, Harry!" told Hermione. "It was a good thing, but just because it's a good thing doesn't mean it's not a dangerous thing. You're constantly putting your life on the line for everyone else. You've got to relax."  
  
"Yeah, Harry!" agreed Ron. "Chill out."  
  
"Chill out?" questioned Harry. "If I had 'chilled out' when Professor Quirrell was trying to capture the Philosopher's Stone, Voldemort could have come to power a lot quicker and with a lot more powerful. If I had 'chilled out' when the Chamber of Secrets had been opened, Ron's sister Ginny would have died, and yet again Voldemort would have come back to power. If I had 'chilled out' when Sirius Black was near the school, I would never have found out that my godfather was innocent, and that it was Peter Pettigrew who was Voldemort's sidekick all along."  
  
"Harry, you're making a huge fit like you did last year," said Hermione.   
  
"I'm not making a fit," said Harry. "I'm telling you that if I 'chilled out' in a lot of circumstances, the consequences would have been more drastic."  
  
"Listen, you can't keep on risking your life for all of us," said Ron.  
  
"So? Joy always risks her life and putting herself on the line!"  
  
"She's stronger than you!" implied Hermione. "She, with her sister, defeated Voldemort with their army."  
  
"You mean they thought they did," said Harry. "Even if they're that strong, they can never defeat Voldemort. Only I can!"  
  
"That's what the Prophecy made it seem to be," said Hermione. "What if the Prophecy only meant that one had to die but the other could survive, but someone else could kill either one?"  
  
"No, Hermione, the Prophecy said one had to die at the hand of the other."  
  
"But Dumbledore said-"  
  
"Well I think Dumbledore's wrong."   
  
"Harry," started Ron, "just because of that, doesn't mean you have to do everything yourself."  
  
"I want to! I have to!"  
  
"Harry, Ron, I think we should go into the Great Hall for dinner," sighed Hermione, heading towards its entrance.  
  
"You know, despite my complaints of hunger and the smell of delicious Italian sausages, I think I've lost my appetite," sighed Ron.  
  
Author's Note: The next chapter's going to be called "The Potion of the Undead". DUNDUNDAAA!!!!!!! Oh, and PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	18. Potion of the Undead

Chapter 18  
  
The Potion of the Undead  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and the other things I've written for disclaimers.   
  
Author's Note: Hey people!!! So what happened last chapter? Oh yeah! Harry and his friends get their awards, and Glory's four friends tell the Gryffindor trio that they found out EVERYTHING about the Voldemort-Malfoy-Glory scheme. They were all going to meet at the Room of Requirement, but when Harry, Hermione and Ron got there, the Ravenclaw girls were attacked. Glory was really sad, and when Harry was about to tell her about Malfoy and Voldemort's plots, Malfoy told her instead, and she ran out of the room screaming. So, here's the next chapter!! Pleaser read and review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
"We get to visit Joy today?" asked Harry to Hermione as him and his friends walked in the corridors to the common room.  
  
"Yes," responded Hermione. "They found out what she has isn't contagious, so we can visit her. She's doing a lot better too!"  
  
"When can we expect her to be going back to classes?" asked Ron.  
  
"I'm not exactly sure, but at least a week from now."  
  
"Oh look, there's Glory!" pointed out Harry.   
  
Glory was walking sadly alone in the hallways, and when she realized they were in the hallway, she became happy to see them. Glory rushed over to them, grinning uncontrollably.  
  
"Hi, guys!" she said.  
  
"Hi," said Ron, who was surprised at the dramatic change of Glory's attitude.  
  
"Hello, Princess!" said Hermione.  
  
"Hi, Glory!" said Harry.  
  
"I'm so glad to see you all," said Glory. "It looks like you were rushing somewhere. Where are you going? There are no classes today."  
  
"We were going to visit Joy," said Hermione.  
  
"Really? How wonderful! I would go too, but I'm going to visit my friends in the Hospital Wing. Uhm...I wanted to ask you..." she said, stuttering. "C-could you maybe come over to my rooms tomorrow?"  
  
"We don't have the Ravenclaw password," said Ron. "How are we going to get in?"  
  
"It's okay, I'll tell the entrance painting to let you in free of password," she said. "I'll ask permission from Professor Flitwick for you to come in first. I'll send you a letter stating if you can come or not, all right?"  
  
"Where would your rooms be in the Ravenclaw common room?" asked Harry.  
  
"All you have to do is go to the girls' dormitories - don't worry, I'll tell the girls before you come - and then you'll see a large, old-fashioned wooden door. There's a telecom near the door."  
  
"What's a telecom?" asked Ron.  
  
"Do you know what an intercom is?" asked Glory.  
  
"Ron doesn't, but Harry and I do," said Hermione.  
  
"An intercom is a kind of device attached to the wall, so two people in certain places are able to talk to each other. The telecom is like that except that it's quicker, clearer and the person using it can actually see the other person instead of just hearing them."  
  
"Is it just me or is everybody using muggle-inspired gadgets?" said Ron.   
  
"Muggles are actually quite interesting, and their way of technology is amazing," said Glory. "Us witches and wizards have such a comfortable lifestyle with magic that we don't bother inventing things to modernize our lives."  
  
"What would we do in your rooms?" asked Harry.  
  
"I could show you around, show you my newest inventions and things, and then we can play that board-game we played at Christmas time."  
  
"During the time we're there, could you help me put up a website on your computagram?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Of course!" she said gladly. "What do you want your website to be about?"  
  
"I want to make a computagram website for my organization, SPEW, which is short for 'Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare'. It's to give house-elves their freedom, wages, and to treat them as equals."  
  
"Sure, I'm all about being nice to house-elves," said Glory. "They do a lot of hard work for us; they deserve our respect."  
  
"But I also think they should have wages, or even their freedom."  
  
"I've known a lot of house-elves, and they seem to like their jobs," said Glory, looking at Hermione strangely.  
  
"They've been brought up to like it!" exclaimed Hermione. "They should be treated like we treat wizards and witches: wages, proper jobs, food, clothing, etc."  
  
"Technically, if you just give them a uniform in the first place- Oh forget it, I'll just help you set it up, all right?"  
  
"Sure! When should we meet you?"  
  
"It'll be in the letter."  
  
"Okay, see you then- "  
  
"Wait a minute," interrupted Harry. "Sorry about the interruption, but I wanted to ask you how you were feeling, you know, after yesterday."  
  
"What are you talking about?" asked Glory.  
  
"You know, when I met you at the Great Hall. I wanted to tell you something about your friends, then Malfoy brought you in an empty classroom to tell you something and you screamed out."  
  
"Pardon?" questioned Glory suspiciously and confusingly. "I don't remember that at all."  
  
"You ran through the corridors, crying and burying your hands in your face. You let out this huge shriek."  
  
Glory looked completely blank.   
  
"I'm sorry, I don't remember," she said, shaking her head. "All I remember is staying in my rooms for dinner because I wasn't feeling well. I think I should go now, bye!"  
  
"Bye!" said all three of them.   
  
Harry couldn't believe what had happened; Glory didn't recall at all what had happened yesterday.  
  
"I can't believe it," said Harry. "She doesn't remember a thing!"  
  
"Do you think she was lying because she was embarrassed?" asked Hermione.  
  
"She seemed pretty blank to me," said Ron.   
  
They headed to the common room, where they would meet Joy in her rooms. Once they were in the common room, they went to the girls' dormitories ("Harry! Ron! Would you stop fidgeting?" ordered Hermione when they went there) and approached the massive door. Harry noticed the telecom Joy had shown him before.  
  
"How do we get in?" asked Ron. "It's obviously locked."  
  
"Just use the telecom," said Harry, pointing to the little screen near the door.  
  
"So that's a telecom!" said Ron with his eyes open, as he looked closely at the little screen, almost pressing his nose on it. "Bloody brilliant! How do we use it?"  
  
"Joy explained all of this in her letter," said Hermione. "You just press the button-" she said as she pressed the button, "- and wait for a beeping sound and Joy, or a house-elves, to appear on the screen."  
  
A tiny beep was heard, which followed the appearance of a tiny, chubby house-elf in a maid's uniform on the screen.  
  
"Hello, dis is da residence of Princessa Joysinious," said the house-elf on the tiny screen. "May I aska yo' namesi and yo' businessa?"  
  
"We're Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley," replied Hermione clearly. "We're here to visit the Princess."  
  
"Da Princessa is expecting yo'," said the little creature. "Yo' may come in."  
  
Suddenly, the door quickly opened, as did all the very many doors behind it. Shocked and slightly scared, they walked into the opening entrances which lead them to a cozy living room with a Moroccan theme to it, with wonderful colours and lovely furniture. They saw Joy on the couch in the middle, covered almost completely with various blankets (her head was the only thing not covered). She looked drowsy and shivery. She had a steamy porcelain-pink goblet on the table next to her.  
  
"Hey, guys!" she said in a faint voice. "Don't worry, I'm not contagious. You can sit anywhere you like."  
  
Harry approached the circle of comfy furniture with his friends as he sat down on a cozy chair to Joy's left. Ron sat on the chair closest to Joy, and Hermione sat comfortably on the sofa across from Joy.   
  
"Do any of you want anything to drink or eat?" she asked.  
  
"No," they all said in reply.  
  
"Are you doing all right?" asked Ron, clutching Joy's hand.  
  
"Not that great," she said in a wheezy voice. "I'm doing a lot better though. My throat was so weak and sore that I couldn't talk, I could barely move and I couldn't do the charms I tried to practice. Actually, I looked a lot skinnier in the morning than I did before."  
  
Harry listened to the description closely, realizing how close her symptoms were to the symptoms Cho and Glory's friends had from the attacks. Could she have been attacked?  
  
"Did you hear about what happened to Glory's friends?" asked Harry. "The ones who were going to tell us all about the secret information?"  
  
"Yes, I have!" said Joy. "It's awful, isn't it? My poor sister... She has other friends and all, but it still wouldn't be the same. It would be like if I lost all you three. Did you visit them?"  
  
"No, we haven't yet," said Hermione. "We think they probably won't remember anything."  
  
"That's true," said Harry. "Cho didn't remember what happened, so the other four probably won't. I heard you didn't remember anything the night before the morning you became sick."  
  
"Yeah, I don't remember anything at all, meaning that all I remember is shutting my eyes and suddenly waking up feeling absolutely horrible."  
  
"That's so strange," said Ron.  
  
"Do you think you could have been attacked?" asked Harry.   
  
The whole entire room went silent. Joy looked at him strangely and sipped a bit of her steaming goblet.  
  
"Why would I have been attacked?" questioned Joy. "Malfoy, nor anyone planning with him, could have come in here. The house-elves never leave the rooms, and the only one who knows my password is Glory, and even if she did tell someone, she would get horrible acne. We made a contract not to tell anyone of the passwords, which had a kind of jinx on it."  
  
"That sounds like what we did last year," said Harry, remembering the contract they made for Dumbledore's Army. "But Tiffany said that what you had wasn't a virus, and that it had something to do with Lord Voldemort and Malfoy."  
  
"Did you happen to think that they could have been wrong?" asked Joy, taking another sip of the mixture.  
  
"But all your symptoms, they make it seem as if you were- "  
  
"I wasn't attacked!" said Joy in a loud and scratchy voice. "I just told you!"  
  
"Then what do you have?" asked Harry.  
  
"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. I'm getting better."  
  
"It does matter! If you, the Princess for Magic, was attacked, then it would really matter!"  
  
"I haven't been attacked!" shouted Joy. "Don't you dare argue with me again!"  
  
Harry trembled at Joy's shouts. He had never heard her shout before. Why didn't she want to listen to what he had to say? She was sounding a bit bossy too. If she was attacked, they obviously did something to her personality. He tried to give up on what he was trying to say.  
  
"I'm sorry," said Harry. "I was just worried- "  
  
"You're worried for the wrong reason," said Joy.  
  
"But- "  
  
"Could you just stop bringing up the subject?" demanded Ron.  
  
Harry remained silent. Why couldn't Ron understand?  
  
"Harry, I am so sorry I said those things," apologized Joy quickly. "It's a part of the things I'm experiencing. I start to get a short temper once in a while. The truth is, I-"  
  
Joy unexpectedly yelped in pain and clutched her hand to her head. She looked like Harry when he had a pain in his scar.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Hermione in worry.  
  
"Nothing, it's- OW!!"  
  
She gripped her hair and bit her lip as if she couldn't take it.  
  
"Love, are you all right?" asked Ron, looking very worried.  
  
"I- I think I'm all right. Let's just drop the subject," she said as she took another sip of the pink porcelain goblet.  
  
"What's that stuff you're drinking, honey?" asked Ron.  
  
"It's chicken mixture," said Joy, sipping it a bit more. "It's a kind of potion made with chicken. It tastes really good. It's basically the only good thing that's good about being sick."  
  
"Is it like muggle chicken soup?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Yes, it is. Actually, it was a witch who invented it. There's only one difference: the muggle kind doesn't have as much flavour as this kind. Oh, and there are no chunks of ingredients in the mixture either."  
  
"Oh, I almost forgot!" gasped Hermione. "Here's all your homework."  
  
Out of her bag, she pulled a few papers and notes and handed them to Joy.  
  
"Thanks, Mione!" she said. "So, did any of you do anything else today?"  
  
"We talked to Glory, who invited us over to her rooms," said Harry.  
  
"That was nice of her!" said Joy. "Anything else?"  
  
"Actually the other day, I was thinking of telling Glory of what's happening. You know, Malfoy's schemes and everything. I thought she should know."  
  
"She was with Malfoy too!" said Ron.  
  
"Harry!" said Joy in a disappointed look. "You could have been in great danger!"  
  
"You're always putting yourself in danger!" said Harry.  
  
"I'm a lot stronger than you are, and I'm supposed to serve my people. That's what leaders like me or supposed to do."  
  
"Anyway, I was about to tell her, but then Malfoy wanted to tell her something. He was going to tell her his schemes with Lord Voldemort. He brought her to an empty classroom, but then Glory came rushing out - screaming!"  
  
"Oh dear!" gasped Joy.  
  
"I know, it's awful. I tried asking her if she was okay from the day before, but she said she didn't remember a thing."  
  
"That's peculiar," said Joy.   
  
"After that scene," said Hermione, "we argued a bit about the Prophecy, that Voldemort or Harry had to die at the hand of the other."  
  
"That Prophecy?" said Joy. "And what did you argue about it?"  
  
"I was saying to Harry that the Prophecy might have meant that one had to die while the other lived, but one could have been killed by someone else. That would explain why you and Glory killed him."  
  
"But Dumbledore talked to me in the beginning of the year," said Harry, "and he explained that the war wasn't actually meant to kill Voldemort. He also said that everyone ignored the Prophecy, and that they thought it could have been done with a large army and powerful leaders."  
  
"Obviously, it didn't work," said Joy. "Dumbledore was telling us all about the Prophecy before the war and that it might not have been possible to kill him. Only a few believed him. My sister and I believed him, and we were so scared to fight in the war. We thought we might be the ones getting destroyed! Some people were actually considering having you in the war, Harry."  
  
"Really?" gasped Harry.   
  
He had wondered why he wasn't participating in the war that summer, although Joy said that he could have fought in the war made him tremble. He thought of all those people dying, those endless days of battling... He was still puzzled how happy and perky Joy was, or was she?  
  
"Yeah, they were thinking of bringing you, but Professor Dumbledore said it was a bad idea. He didn't want you to get hurt. He really cares about you, you know."  
  
"I'm really grateful for that," said Harry with a smile.  
  
"Anyway, Professor Dumbledore thought that the Prophecy could have meant the person who could defeat him was you, but a powerful army might be able to as well. And as I said before, we were wrong."   
  
"It's a shame," sighed Ron. "You fought really hard."  
  
"We still managed to defeat him in the war!" said Joy, being optimistic. "We won!"  
  
"The greatest thing about being you being my girlfriend is that you can change a bad perspective into a good one," said Ron, and pinched her cheek affectionately. "You're always making me happy."  
  
"That's the key to being perky!" she said.  
  
"I think we should go," said Hermione, looking at her watch. "We're waiting for a letter from Glory, and you should catch up on your homework."  
  
"You're absolutely right," said Joy. "I'll see you soon. I'm probably going to be able to leave my rooms in about 4 days time. Hey, I just remembered! The Chudley Cannons game is next Saturday. Do any of you want to see it on my teleview?"  
  
"Teleview?" asked Harry.  
  
"It's like a television, except with wizard qualities. You know, a remote control that can't be lost, a lot more channels, you can watch shows that you've missed, you can browse and find any kind of show in the world - whatever!"  
  
"You have a teleview?" questioned Ron. "Here?"  
  
"Of course I do! It's in one of the other rooms."  
  
"That is so cool!" exclaimed Ron. "We only use a radio in my house, because we can't afford a teleview..."  
  
"That's okay, Ron. Maybe I'll buy you one for Easter. My family's getting a new one at the palace, so you can have the older one."  
  
"Really?!?!?!" shouted Ron. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! We're getting a teleview!"  
  
"Like Ron commented before, it seems like there are so many new things that were muggle-inspired," said Hermione.  
  
"Actually, the person who invented the teleview was a wizard who was muggle-born," said Joy. "Even so, I don't think it's too bad having all these things inspired by muggles. It's all about luxury, I say! Sometimes, I think they might have it a bit easier than we do. When my sister and I become Queens, we're going to try and inspire a new age to the wizarding world: technology. OK, maybe it's my sister who's a bit more excited about technology. If there's something that takes a lot of concentration and brain power, she'll love it."  
  
"Glory seems so multi-talented," said Harry.  
  
"She is, but it's more in a scholarly way. She doesn't take the time to enjoy beauty, non-serious things and things that don't involve using non-stop thinking, like make-up and Quidditch for examples! I'm telling you, that girl can't relax. Well, see you!"  
  
"See you too!" they all said, leaving the room as all the doors opened to them.   
  
As they walked into the common room, they saw a giant hippigryph lying on the Gryffindor carpet. Once it saw the three of them as they exited the last door, it stood up and walked majestically to them, with a large pouch dangling from its neck.  
  
"It's Tsarina!" said Hermione, as she slightly bent her knees (the hippigryph was so large Hermione didn't have to bend down that much) and opened the pouch from it's neck, bearing Princess Glory's coat of arms. She pulled out an enveloped letter from the pouch. It had a wax seal bearing her coat of arms and on the front it said in calligraphic letters: To Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley in Gryffindor. She opened it and examined it. "Here's what it says:  
  
Dear Harry, Hermione and Ron,  
  
After consulting Professor Flitwick about our meeting, I have received permission for your visit tomorrow, at 2 o'clock at my rooms. The painting of Rowena Ravenclaw is instructed to open the entrance for you, free of password. If you need directions, just ask Luna Lovegood. She told me that she knew you. It will be my pleasure to see you then.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Princess Glory (signature)  
  
Her Royal Highness Princess Glorificous Elizabeth Tatiana Victoria Nefertiti Dumbledore-Illiermo, Princess of Magic, future Queen of Magic/Queen of the Wizarding and Magical World, Order of Merlin (second class), winner of the Norwellum Potions Prize, Norwellum Inventions Prize and 5-time winner of the International Duelling Championships   
  
P.S. I seriously need to shorten my name.  
  
Harry giggled at the commentary at the end, surprised that Princess Glory had a sense of humour. Ron stood dumbfounded, and Hermione looked quite interested at all the things she had done.  
  
"I never knew a name could be that long," said Ron, shaking his head.  
  
"I think someone has broken the world record for longest name," said Harry.  
  
"World record?" questioned Ron.  
  
"Muggles keep track of all the weird, outrageous and extraordinary things in the world and things they've done, and they're always trying to break world records. There have been world records for longest fingernail, oldest man, tallest mountain- "  
  
"Muggles actually find those things interesting?" asked Ron. "Father will ever be interested to know that! What a ridiculous way to waste your time doing absurd things like- Oh no, Fred and George will be trying to break one sooner or later."  
  
"Norwellum Prize!" said Hermione amazed. "That's like the Nobel to muggles, and she's won it twice! How extraordinary!"  
  
"Why is her name so long?" asked Ron.  
  
"People like her have long names and large titles," said Hermione. "I can't wait until tomorrow. I can't believe it... Norwellum Prize... twice..."  
  
"I hope Hermione doesn't stay like this," said Ron. "She sounds like my sister, Ginny. Next thing we know, they'll build a shrine dedicated to Glory!"  
  
*****  
  
"Are you sure this is the way to the Ravenclaw common room?" asked Ron, as they walked down hallways they hadn't walked down before.   
  
"Of course I'm sure!" stated Hermione. "I memorized all the instructions Luna Lovegood gave me."  
  
"Just when I thought we escaped from that loony bin," sighed Ron.  
  
Harry remembered Luna Lovegood, who was the Ravenclaw girl, now in her 5th year, who Harry had met the pervious year. Luna was quite an interesting character, and quite abnormal as well. Luna had followed him and his friends to the Ministry where they had thought Sirius was being attacked. It was, in fact, not true, and had led to the death of his poor godfather... Harry tried snap out of that awful mood. I'm sixteen and I should act more mature now, thought Harry.  
  
They finally arrived at a large painting of a woman dressed in old-fashioned robes, looking distinctively intellectual. At the bottom of the painting was a tiny plaque, which read: "ROWENA RAVENCLAW, FOUNDER OF RAVENCLAW HOUSE". The woman in the painting was reading a book, but she looked up when she realized the three were there.   
  
"Hello, dears!" she said sternly but kindly. "I see that you were the three Gryffindor students Her Royal Highness described to me. I welcome you into my house, as you may enter."  
  
She smiled at them, as the entrance quickly opened. The entrance revealed a wonderfully decorated room, which looked incredibly like a study for a great witch or wizard. Most of the furniture had bronze or blue colour. There were statues of eagles here and there, and even eagles carved into the furniture. There were cases of books everywhere with a few interesting wizard or scholar tools, such as a few telescopes, globes and cauldrons. The common room had a globe ceiling, with a bronze and crystal chandelier dangling from the middle of the ceiling. There was a large marble fire place at the centre of the room. Above the mantelpiece was another portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw, and below the portrait was a lovely turquoise and ivory pendant of an eagle in a glass case.   
  
In the middle of the room, there was a large fountain. It had two statues facing each other: one of the Greek goddess Athena, goddess of knowledge, who had an owl perched on her shoulder, and a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw. At the bottom was a statue of an eagle perched onto an open book, with its wings wide open. Water splashed out from the beak of the eagle and owl, the head of Athena and the wand of Ravenclaw. At the edge of the fountain's pool read the words: "FOUNTAIN OF RAVENCLAW".   
  
"I can't believe it!" said Ron. "Ravenclaw gets a huge fountain, and now Slytherin has a small fountain. Why doesn't Gryffindor have a fountain?"  
  
"How am I supposed to know?" asked Harry. Harry was still looking around the room, marvelling at its decor.   
  
"Harry! Ron! Hermione!" shouted a voice from the other side of the room. It was Luna Lovegood, who was reading a book and was wearing a scrunchy made out of ball-shaped onions. She ran towards them, excited to see them again.  
  
"Hi!" she said with a smile. "I haven't seen you two, Harry and Ron, in such a long time!"  
  
"Yeah, it's too bad about that," sighed Ron.  
  
"You're here to meet Princess Glory, right?"  
  
"Yes, we are," said Harry. "Are you friends with her?"  
  
"Not exactly," she said. "We talk once in a while, but we're not considered friends. I love listening about her inventions and things like that. She's pretty interesting. I've been asking my father to put a story about her in The Quibbler for ages."  
  
"She won the Norwellum Potions and Inventions Prize, did you know that?" asked Hermione. "I just found that out yesterday, and I still can't believe it."  
  
"Yes, I've heard about that. I think she won the Norwellum Potions Prize for that perfected were-wolf potion, and she won the Norewllum Inventions Prize for inventing  
  
contact lenses that able you to see through walls and things like that. It's used for the army now."  
  
"That's so interesting!" said Hermione. "I hope she can show us her prize-winning potion and invention."  
  
"Where's the door to her rooms?" asked Harry.  
  
"It's in the girls' dormitory over in the corner there," said Luna, pointing to a door at their right. "Inside there, you'll find a large wooden door. You can't miss it."  
  
The three of them followed Luna's instructions, and found the massive door in the girls' dormitory that Glory and Luna had talked about. Even if he had been in a girls' bathroom and the Gryffindor girls' dormitory before, he still felt uncomfortable being in the Ravenclaw girls' dormitory. Ravenclaw girls going up the spiral staircase looked at Harry and Ron strangely, giggling amongst themselves.   
  
The door was wooden, and of course, massive. It had a large coat of arms on the front (Glory's obviously). On the side was a small telecom. Harry pushed the red button of the telecom. There's was a small beep, and on the screen appeared another chubby house-elf.  
  
"Allo, dis is da residenca o' da Princessa Glorificusa," said the chubby house-elf, just like Joy's house-elf had said. "May I aska yora namesi and yora businessa?"  
  
"Our names are Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger," replied Harry. "We're here to meet Princess Glory."  
  
"Da Princessa 'as beena awaitin' yor orrival," said the house-elf. "Yo may enter."   
  
Just like at their visit to Joy's room, all the doors immediately opened, as they entered every single one of the entrances. Those entrances led them to a large room decorated in an English Renaissance-style decor, with antique chairs and tables lavishly carved, with several cozy couches and chairs sewn with a wonderful design. Around the room were a few strange instruments like those in Dumbledore's office. There were paintings here and there, sleeping or reading a book. There were 3 doors in the room, and a large spiralling staircase. In the corner of the room was a desk which had a computagram resting on it.   
  
Sitting on one of the cozy chairs was Princess Glory, sewing quickly and daintily at a large, green silk cloth with a bottle of her favourite soda, Fizzy-up Vinkshim Soda, on a table at her side. She looked up at them, and quickly dropped the cloth and ran to them and hugged them tightly.  
  
"Oh, I am so glad you're here!" she said, hugging Harry at the moment. "I've been so lonely these couple of days. I'm almost always surrounded by my four friends. Sit down and make yourselves comfortable."  
  
She gestured at them to sit on any of the comfortable couches. Harry, Ron and Hermione all sat on the 3-person couch while Glory sat on her antique chair, just finishing up sewing a design on her silk cloth.   
  
"Did you want anything to eat or drink?" asked Glory.  
  
"No thanks," they all said.  
  
"There, done!" she said, as she unravelled it and raised it up, revealing a very complex design of the Magical Table of Elements. "I made it for Professor Snape. He told me he needed a Periodic Table, so I volunteered to make it for him."  
  
"You actually talk to that creep?" asked Ron.  
  
"He's not quite a creep to me," said Glory, looking a bit disappointed at Ron. "He's actually quite nice. He's just had a bad past concerning Gryffindors, and Harry's father."  
  
Harry knew what she meant. In his 5th year, he had seen in the Pensieve how awful James and Sirius had teased Professor Snape. Of course, it didn't matter now. Both of them were dead, or better said, brutally murdered.  
  
"I can see you're quite good at needlework," remarked Hermione.  
  
"Oh yes, I'm very good at it. Joy's better at crafts using glue though. I'm really bad at that, everything I try making with glue becomes a sticky mess."  
  
"You're quite multi-talented," said Harry. "So far we know you're a great politician, public speaker, dueller, warrior, teacher, inventor, scientist, needlework...  
  
Is there anything else?"  
  
"I'm great at computagrams," she said. "I'm also pretty good at cooking too. I can also act."  
  
"Really?" asked Harry. "You can act?"  
  
"Absolutely," responded Glory. "My sister and I are wonderful actresses. Hermione, did you want to get started on that computagram website?"  
  
"Sure!" she said, as she leaped off the couch and headed to the computagram.  
  
"It'll take about half an hour to do this," said Glory, talking to Ron and Harry. "You can look at the inventions around the room if you like. You can even check out the door on your right. It contains a few of my Norwellum trophies and other inventions and potions. If you need to ask me something, just ask away and I'll answer your question. Just try not to break anything."  
  
Harry and Ron looked at the little instruments which made tinkling sounds and puffed out smoke. Ron encouraged Harry to go into the room on their right. They slowly opened the door, revealing a large and dim room lit by glowing lanterns along the wall. There were shelves and shelves of strange-looking bottles, inventions and books.   
  
Harry and Ron walked inside the large room, leaving the door open. Harry noticed a small table show-casing two silver trophies with miniature silver statues of a large globe and a wand across it. There was also the potion and the invention, with a display on a presentation board containing information about the two creations. There were tiny gold labels at the bottom, and each label was different. The first label said: 'NORWELLUM POTIONS PRIZE, 1993, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS GLORY'. The second label said 'NORWELLUM INVENTIONS PRIZE, 1994, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS GLORY.'   
  
Near the Norwellum Potions Trophy was a large bottle of neon-yellow fluid. With it, was a presentation board covered in information about ingredients, the effects, instructions and chemical theories about it. Near the Norwellum Inventions Trophy was a glass containing a glass square holding up two strange-looking contact lenses inside with a presentation board displaying further information and pictures of how it worked. "Ron, come here!" said Harry. "I found where the prizes are."  
  
Ron rushed to Harry's side, bent down and glared into the glass case that was showcasing the awards.  
  
"It's magnificent," said Ron.  
  
"She won the Norwellum Potions Prize in her 3rd year, and the Norwellum Inventions Prize in her 4th year."  
  
"In my 3rd year, I couldn't even make a proper Potion to save my exam mark!" said Ron. "I'm still surprised I can do it now. I've improved very much, but I could never create a new kind of potion."  
  
Ron stood up as they both headed in different directions, exploring the room with all the many inventions and potions. Ron explored the side containing potions, and Harry explored the side containing inventions. Everything was categorized in alphabetical order. Harry walked through the tall aisles, looking at all the interesting inventions from the Abacus of Magic, using magical beads which multiplied as much as you wanted and changed magically, to the Zoological Animated Globe Encyclopaedia, which was a globe on a platform containing buttons where any magical or Muggle animal would appear where you could also research the information about it.   
  
"Hagrid would love that invention," mumbled Harry.   
  
In between those two inventions were many other inventions, such as the Magic-Pen, which was a silver tube with a rubber grip in the middle with a pointed edge at the bottom, an odd tube-like part which was copper, and a few buttons at the top. The object was held up on two little sticks on a platform, which contained a label. Harry read it to himself:  
  
The Magic-Pen  
  
A modernized version of the Muggle pen. It is a metal tube containing a liquid called olacid ink, which can switch colours depending on heat and temperature. The buttons on the top activate the heat inside the pen which can change the ink into different colours. It has a rubber grip to insure a comfortable fit into the user's hand. At the top is a copper tube which can suck back up the ink if a mistake is made, and the ink is recycled. The ink-quantity refills 5 times, and the olacid ink, sold separately,  
  
can be added in using a tiny closable hole on the side.  
  
Along the way, Harry spotted another invention, called the Voice-Writing Parchment role. On display was a piece of parchment, which seemed strange to Harry.  
  
"There's nothing on it," said Harry. "It's just a plain piece of parchment."  
  
Suddenly, writing started to appear on the parchment, which was exactly what Harry said. It read in printing, "There's nothing on it. It's just a plain piece of parchment."  
  
Marvellous, thought Harry to himself, as he examined more inventions. While walking along the aisles, two small questions appeared into his head. He rushed to the door where he spotted Hermione explaining to Glory about SPEW, making Glory look more suspicious and freaked-out the more she explained. Glory also spotted Harry and was glad to turn to him and stop listening to Hermione.  
  
"Harry, do you have a question?" asked Glory.  
  
"Yeah, I do. It's just two simple questions, really."  
  
"It's okay, I'll answer it."  
  
"Do you have your own laboratory in your rooms to create all your inventions?"  
  
"No, I don't," answered Glory. "I use the school's laboratory, or I go to Snape's room, who loves watching and talking to me about my potions."  
  
"I have another question. Do you personally use any of your inventions, even in class?"  
  
"Sometimes I do for homework purposes. In class, I only use the Magic-Pen and Voice-Writing Parchment for copying notes. I have to put a spell on the parchment, though. It sometimes writes down things that other people are saying while the professor is speaking."  
  
"Great, thanks for answering my question!"   
  
"No problem," she said as she turned back to the computagram screen with Hermione. As Harry walked back into the room, he could hear Glory pleading to Herminone. "You've told me enough about how house-elves should be free. Can we go onto creating your guest book?"  
  
Ron was starting to look at the Inventions section when Harry came in, so Harry decided to visit the potions section. There were a lot of rare ingredients and strange-shaped bottles. There were many potions such as the De-Poisoning Potion and the Lost Voice-Healing Potion. When Harry was about to explore through the aisles containing potions starting with q-t, he spotted a door-shape cut out of the wall, which he had almost not seen. Harry wondered if Ron saw the mysterious door cut out of the wall.  
  
"Ron," called Harry in a whisper.  
  
"Yeah, Harry?" whispered Ron back.  
  
"Come, I found something."  
  
Ron rushed to where Harry was standing.  
  
"What is it?" asked Ron.  
  
"Look, don't you see?" said Harry.  
  
"See what?"  
  
"The door cut out of the wall!" whispered Harry harshly as he pointed his fingers along the edges of the cut-out door.  
  
"Wow, it's a cut-out door in the wall. Is it open?"  
  
"I don't know, probably not."  
  
"I'll check," said Ron, as he pushed the door-shape open. He pushed it along the edges, put it didn't work. He examined it, and realized there was a camouflaged doorknob. "First I don't see the door, then I don't see the doorknob. This entrance is very-well hidden."  
  
"Maybe we shouldn't go in," said Harry as he gave it a second thought.   
  
"Great, so you brought me here for nothing?"  
  
"I'm just worried if we're going to find out something very personal about Glory."  
  
"Harry, there are so many personal things about girls that it's hard not to stumble across one of them once in a while. I'll see if the doorknob's open." Ron turned the doorknob, and the door opened automatically. "Wonderful! It opens."  
  
"I see a key-hole," said Harry, looking carefully at the doorknob. "Do you think Glory might have forgotten to lock it?"  
  
"Stop worrying and come on!" said Ron in a frustrated voice. "First you're the one making us take chances, now you try and stop us. Make up your mind, won't you?"  
  
Harry shrugged as Ron opened the door a bit wider. Inside was a large stone staircase. Harry and Ron entered and stepped onto the staircase, as Ron closed the door behind them. They descended down the cold stone staircase into a chilly dungeon-like place, which was very dim-lit.   
  
After walking down the whole entire staircase, they stepped into a large, circular stone room with a few candles here and there, and there were shelves all around the room. Harry looked at a spiral-shaped bottle which said on the bottom: ELECTROCUTED ASHWINDER BRAIN. Harry cringed at the thought of a snake's electrocuted brain. Ron walked to where Harry was standing and looked at the bottle he was looking at.  
  
"Ew!" shrieked Ron. "Electrocuted Ashwinder brain. A serpent's electrocuted brain, that's nasty. How do you get it in the first place? Do you first electrocute the Ashwiner and take out its brain, or do you take out the Ashwinder's brain and electrocute it?"  
  
"I have no idea," said Harry. "Let's just forget about it."  
  
Ron and Harry split up to look at all the weird ingredients, tools and cauldrons. They were pretty nasty stuff in Harry's opinion. He wondered why Glory had it in the first place.  
  
As he walked into a tiny pathway at the back of the room near the stairs, he saw some kind of chest. It seemed very old and its lock was rather large.  
  
"Ron, I need you to come here again!"  
  
"What now?" questioned Ron as he turned to his side to get into the passageway.   
  
"Look at the chest!"  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"There might be something interesting in it."  
  
"Then what are you waiting for? Open it and find out!"  
  
Harry took out his wand to unlock the chest.  
  
"Alohamora," said Harry  
  
The chest burst open, revealing a large rectangular plastic container with neon-green fluid. On the container read a label that said: POTION OF THE UNDEAD.  
  
"Potion of the Undead?" questioned Ron. "What's that all about?"  
  
"Look, there's a notebook inside!" said Harry, as he pulled out a red-covered notebook pushed to the side of the chest. He opened it and flipped through its pages. "Here's an explanation!"  
  
Harry read the description and explanation of the Potion of the Undead aloud to Ron:  
  
'Potion of the Undead  
  
created by Princess Glory'  
  
"So it was created by Glory," said Ron. Harry continued:  
  
'A potion of neon-green colour which was created by Princess Glory. It is a sister potion to the Potion of Bone, Flesh and Blood. Unlike its sister potion which requires the remains of an almost dead or close-to-death wizard/witch, this potion requires something belonging to the deceased, and a drop of their blood (or something with their blood on it). It is used to bring back a person from the dead, or to bring a dead one's spirit or energy back to a greater state, with more powers or to its original strength and state of mind.'  
  
Harry, whose eyes were wide in fear, looked up from the notebook.  
  
"Do you think this might have something to do with Malfoy and Voldemort?" asked Ron.  
  
"I think it definitely has something to do with them," said Harry. "Actually, I think we just found the answer to how Voldemort came back to life."  
  
"But how?" asked Ron.  
  
"For the potion, you need something belonging to the deceased," stated Harry. "I remember before our 2nd year that Lucius Malfoy was selling some items to a shop in Knockturn Alley. Remember? He had some of Voldemort's belongings!"  
  
"Of course, he had Tom Riddle's diary! He could have used some of his other stuff at home to use for the potion! What about the blood?"  
  
"What about it?" asked Harry.  
  
"It says you need their blood or something with their blood on it," stated Ron. "Where would they get that?"  
  
Harry thought about that question, and suddenly thought of the time in Charms   
  
class when Princess Glory answered Seamus Finnigan's question of if they had blood on them.  
  
"Yes, we had some blood on us," Harry remembered Glory say to Seamus. "Our swords had the most blood. Everything was cleaned though, except for one of my gloves which was completely covered in blood. I can't clean the blood off, so I can't use it anymore."  
  
"They used the glove," said Harry. "They used Glory's glove with all that blood on it she couldn't get off. You know, the one she was talking about in Charms?"  
  
"Of course!" said Ron. "But how would they use it? It said in the book that it can be used to bring back someone from the dead, or to bring a dead person's spirit or energy back to a greater state, with more powers or to its original strength and state in mind."  
  
Harry thought more about this, and then he remembered something else Glory said during the presentation.  
  
"His dead body looked pretty weird," she had said. "Some kind of smoke was rising from it. I read that it kind of happens to Dark wizards... or maybe not. I'm not too sure."  
  
"There was another thing Glory said during the presentation," said Harry. "Remember when she said that Voldemort's dead body had some kind of smoke which was rising from it?"  
  
"Yeah, that was pretty gross!"  
  
"Of course it's gross, but maybe it wasn't just smoke. It could have been his spirit!"  
  
"You think that the spirit lifted from his body when he died?" asked Ron.  
  
"Probably. She said she wasn't too sure if that happened to Dark wizards, so it possibly doesn't happen. Voldemort's spirit most likely tried to contact the Malfoys, and he could have wanted Draco Malfoy to meet Glory so he could gain power once again. Do you think he knew Glory had this potion?"  
  
"I don't know. He does know a lot of things. We'll investigate that later."  
  
"So, what would this be?" asked Ron, pointing to the case filled with the potion.  
  
"Duh! It's the Potion of the Undead!"  
  
"Isn't Glory the only one who has access to this place? If this is the Potion of the Undead, then that means they already used the belongings of Voldemort and the glove with his blood. Glory wouldn't have made the potion, could she have?"  
  
"I don't. Wait, wasn't there a hypnotist who was kidnapped?"  
  
"Yeah, in the beginning of the year."  
  
"Do you think the Death Eaters kidnapped the hypnotist to hypnotize Glory?"  
  
"It could be possible, but could it work? Isn't she too powerful?"  
  
"Yes, she's powerful, but they could have hypnotized her anyway."  
  
"But where and when would they get to hypnotize her?"  
  
Harry thought about that. He raced through his memory of the year so far, especially his first night back at Hogwarts. He remembered that he had seen a moving object in the sky.   
  
"Did you see something strange in the sky the first night of our 6th year?" asked Harry.   
  
"Yeah, I did!" exclaimed Ron. "I wasn't sure was direction it was going. Some kind of moving object, maybe even a large creature. Harry, do you think that maybe a Death Eater flew into the castle with a hypnotist?"  
  
"It could be so, Ron."  
  
"There's so many spells surrounding the castle," said Ron. "How could they get in?"  
  
"Someone could have let them in Hogwarts," said Harry. "Maybe- "  
  
"Malfoy, of course!" shouted Ron. "When do you think they might use this potion stuff, so Voldemort will return?"  
  
Harry looked at the potion, and trembled at something he had noticed.  
  
"So?" questioned Ron, trying to get an answer from him.  
  
"A quarter of the potion is gone," mumbled Harry, still looking at the potion.   
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"It's not completely full!" said Harry. "There's only 3 quarters of it!"  
  
"So?"  
  
"They used it already, Ron!" shouted Harry. "They already used it!"  
  
Ron shivered after hearing what Harry said, and looked blankly at him in fright.  
  
"I think we should go," said Ron quickly, hurrying out of the passageway and into the circular room.   
  
Harry quickly locked the chest back up with a charm and followed Ron out of the stone room, up the stairs and into Glory's room filled with inventions and potions. Once they were out of the strange dungeon, they took a deep breath from running. Glory peaked inside the room and found Ron and Harry standing there.  
  
"Sorry about taking so long," apologized Glory. "We can play 'Battle for the Mystic Empire' now."  
  
"Wonderful, I love that game!" said Ron, as he rushed out of the room as Harry followed him.   
  
Hermione was pulling a table to the centre of the living room with four chairs around it. Glory rushed into one of the other doors in the room and came out with the box of the board game. She immediately sat down, put her empty soda bottle aside and took out the game. As she opened the board and placed the pieces, Ron asked a question.  
  
"Glory, I know this might sound rude but... Some days you act really mean and some days you act really nice. What's with that?"  
  
Hermione kicked Ron under the table and Harry gave him a murderous look. Despite that, Glory still looked calm.   
  
"That's an interesting question, Ron," said Glory. "Actually, I have no idea why I act like that. It's not mood swings or anything like most teenagers get."  
  
Harry suddenly thought of the year before when he was having major mood swings.  
  
"I just can't help it," she said. "It's as if... It's as if something is inside of me and is making me do those horrible things. I am actually really nice, it's just those times that make me seem ruthless."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Glory!" said Hermione, patting her on the back. "We know you don't mean to be awful those days. Let's just start the game."  
  
"Who wants to be who?" asked Glory, holding up the four playing pieces.  
  
All of them picked the characters they had picked at Christmas, and then played the exciting game. Glory, like before, won the game. They had an extraordinary time, and Glory gave them all a warm goodbye when they left. There was something about the wink Glory gave Harry that reminded him so much of Dumbledore.   
  
"That was quite an interesting visit," said Hermione as they left the Ravenclaw common room.  
  
Harry looked back at the painting of Rowena Ravenclaw, as she tried to fight off the knight, Sir Cadogan, who was trying to kiss her hand and flirt with her.  
  
"You are the most beautiful dove I have seen in all my quests for bravery!" said Sir Cadogan, trying to create a pick-up line. "Would thy pretty lady go out with ye?"  
  
"For the last time, no!" she shouted. "I'm not sure what's wrong with you male paintings that always try to ask me out. Besides, you're such a mule! My animal is the eagle, not the dove! I have more import things to do, and we're just paintings! My goodness, you are just as ridiculous as Salazar Slytherin."  
  
*****  
  
"Thank goodness I feel better!" exclaimed Joy when her and the others were in the Gryffindor common room by themselves. "It used to feet like a burden to woke up."  
  
"We're all glad you're all right," said Ron as he put his arm around Joy's shoulder.  
  
"Did they find out what you had that made you sick?" asked Hermione.  
  
"No, and to tell you the truth, I don't care. As long as I'm well, I'm happy."  
  
" 'And that's the key to being perky'," quoted Ron from Joy when they had visited her when she was sick. Ron gave Joy a big kiss on the cheek which made her giggle.  
  
"What did you do at Glory's visit?" asked Joy.   
  
"She helped me set up my website on SPEW!" said Hermione.  
  
"SPEW?"  
  
"It stands for the 'Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare'."  
  
"Oh, is that your organization to help create respect and kindness to house-elves?"  
  
"Not only that. It's so they could be free and do whatever they want, or have wages."  
  
Joy's smile suddenly curved into a confused frown.  
  
"Don't they like what they do?" asked Joy.  
  
"That's because they grew up to be that way. If they really tried, they could make themselves better."  
  
"But they can't make themselves better, because they grew up that way!"  
  
"That is an absolutely wonderful point," said Ron, happy that Joy made a great comment about SPEW (which if you hadn't noticed, he completely despised).  
  
"What about those house-elves like Dobby?" said Hermione. "He wants to be free!"  
  
"I agree with you on that one," said Joy. "There are some house-elves like Dobby who want to be free, and I encourage their freedom. You just have to understand that there are some house-elves who want to keep their jobs."  
  
"Even so, they should get wages for what they work for!"  
  
"They already get a comfortable home and food, they don't really need money," said Joy. "Besides, doesn't money lead to greed?"  
  
"Excellent point!" said Harry gladly, just like Ron.  
  
"Hermione, it's not that I want to put you down or anything," said Joy, "but you have to understand that there are some house-elves who like what they do. I understand the main idea about equality, and I like it! I'm actually thinking of enforcing respect laws to house-elves when Glory and I become Queens."  
  
"Really?" said Hermione as her face lit up.  
  
"Of course, and I'll dedicate that law to you. Just don't get carried away with this SPEW thing, all right?"  
  
"All right!"  
  
"What else did you do when you visited Glory?" asked Joy.  
  
"Harry and I saw all the cool potions and inventions Glory invented," said Ron.  
  
"Wow, you must have had a good time!"  
  
"It was so cool!" said Ron. "Do you have any inventions?"  
  
"There's a vault in one of my rooms where I keep a few things like make-up, potions for beauty and things like that. So far the most scientific discovery or invention I've made is a potion that can cleanse dirty rivers and such. I'm working on it so it can restore the whole entire ecosystem, or to use separate potions that will take care of individual things."  
  
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," said Hermione.  
  
"We also made our own little discovery," said Harry.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione, who was entirely clueless of what Harry had said.  
  
"Ron and I found the reason how Lord Voldemort returned from the dead."  
  
"What?" questioned Hermione angrily. "You never told me that!"  
  
"Well we found the reason," continued Ron. "It's from a potion called 'The Potion of the Undead'."  
  
"It's a sister potion to the Potion of Bone, Flesh and Blood, which is what restored Lord Voldemort to his original form in my 4th year."  
  
"Oh my goodness!" gasped Joy. "Why was that in her rooms?"  
  
"It was a room which the entrance was hidden where the collection of inventions and potions were," said Harry. "The potion was in a chest in that hidden room."  
  
"There was a notebook inside the chest, that talked about the Potion of the Undead," said Ron. "It said that Glory created it."  
  
"W-what?" stuttered Joy in complete shock. "Potion of the Undead? She never told me about that! And it's a sister potion to the Potion of Bone, Flesh and Blood! That's a potion of the Dark Arts!"  
  
"It's true," sighed Harry. "We found out that it's used to bring back a person from the dead, or to bring a dead person's spirit or energy back to a state stronger than they have at the moment, with more powers or to its original strength and state of mind."  
  
"I can't believe this is true," gasped Joy. "Never did I think this could happen."  
  
"The information said that it needed the belongings of the dead person and their blood. Lucius Malfoy has a few things that had once belonged to Lord Voldemort, and Glory had a glove that was covered in blood and wouldn't come out.  
  
"We think that the spirit from Lord Voldemort rose from the body, because Glory said that some kind of smoke or steam was coming out, and it could have went to the Malfoys and told them about their plot to use Glory to gain power."  
  
"We also think that Malfoy hypnotized Glory into giving them the potion with the kidnapped hypnotist," said Ron. "Do you think it's possible to hypnotize her?"  
  
"The hypnotist who was kidnapped was one of the most famous in the world," said Joy. "He probably could have hypnotized her."  
  
"We think they came and hypnotized her at night," said Ron. "Harry and I saw a dot flying in the distance during our first night of our 6th year. If it was a Death Eater with the hypnotist, Malfoy could have let them into the castle."  
  
"This is so horrible! I can't believe this is happening to my own sister!" shrieked Joy. "I can't even believe my sister created such a potion. Really, to bring back the dead!"  
  
Harry thought over that phrase: 'to bring back the dead'. He thought of the people he knew, or could have known, who were dead: his dear parents, Sirius, and even Cedric Diggory. He maybe, just maybe, could have used that potion to bring them back from the dead. He probably couldn't, considering that he didn't have their blood. If he did, he could see them again...  
  
"Harry, what's wrong?" asked Hermione. "You look so sad!"  
  
"Nothing," he said, quickly wiping away a tear. "It's nothing, really."  
  
"I know it's something," said Joy. "You have something on your mind. It's okay, you can tell us."  
  
"It just... That potion could bring back the dead, right? I was thinking and imagining if it could be possible to bring back my parents and Sirius."  
  
"Harry, I'm so sorry," said Joy. "I shouldn't have made my last sentence so ridiculous. Harry, no matter how unfair someone died, it's never a good idea to bring them back. It isn't meant to be. Just think, they're somewhere better now, in heaven."  
  
"I just wished they hadn't died like that," said Harry, as another tear rolled down his cheek.   
  
"It's okay," said Joy, rubbing the tear off his cheek. "Your friends are here for you. It's so scary though, thinking about this potion and Lord Voldemort returning to power. He might get so powerful, the only person who could stop him is himself, but you also have to include the theory of the Prophecy."  
  
She said this staring right at Harry and winking at him, as if she was trying to tell him something. Harry didn't understand the message though, and tried to ignore it.  
  
"Anyway," said Harry, making himself serious and changing the subject, "the one thing we didn't solve is how Lord Voldemort knew that Glory had that potion."  
  
"Oh, I know- OW!!!!!"  
  
Joy shrieked in pain and clutched her hands to her head, just like she had done before.   
  
"What's wrong? What's happening?" said Ron.  
  
"It's nothing. I just want to tell- OW!!!!"  
  
Her pain was obviously worse than before, and tears started to drop down her cheeks. Fortunately (and unfortunately), no one was there in the common room but them. When the pain got worse, Joy squeezed her arm.   
  
"It burns!" shouted Joy.  
  
"Joy, I seriously think you should go to the Hospital Wing," said Ron.  
  
"Yeah, I'll go to the Hospital Wing," she said to herself, still clutching her arm.  
  
"I'll go with you," volunteered Ron.  
  
"No, I'll go alone," said Joy. "I just need to-"  
  
She grabbed the nearest piece of parchment, nearest quill, dipped it in ink and scribbled something quickly. She shoved it into Harry's hands and ran out of the common room. Harry looked at the paper that she had given him, which read in quick and sloppy writing: 'She doesn't know Occlumency,'.   
  
"What does it say, Harry?" asked Ron looking worried.  
  
"It says, 'She doesn't know Occlumency," said Harry.  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"I guess when she means 'she', she means Glory," said Hermione.  
  
"So? What does 'she doesn't known Occlumency' mean?"  
  
"It means... that it could be easy for anyone to look inside her thoughts!" shouted Harry in discovery. "Remember when I had to take Occlumency last year? It was because Lord Voldemort could read my thoughts! Obviously, he could read Glory's thoughts, and he could see that she was inventing the Potion of the Undead!"  
  
"Of course!" said Hermione. "It all makes sense now. I wonder if this is what the Ravenclaw girls found out."  
  
"In a week I'll ask them about it," said Harry. "They'll be able to speak and talk to me. I'll ask them about what happened then."  
  
*****  
  
As Harry said, after a week had passed, Harry visited Tiffany, Vicky, Ruth and Lucy in the hospital wing. Harry opened the door slowly and peered into the room. Madame Pomfrey was nursing the four skinny Ravenclaw girls: the blonde, pig tailed Lucy Landerville, the freckled, cherry blonde-haired Tiffany Sealious, the chubby brunette Vicky Plumber with the puffy ponytail and the fragile, small, black-haired Ruth Simmore. All of them had a bag of green-purple-blue Timplewimp Paste connected to their arm. Harry could hear their wheezing; it was awful.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Potter!" greeted Madame Pomfrey, as she stood up from adjusting Ruth's bed. "Are you here to see the four girls?"  
  
"Yes, and I also wanted to see-" Harry tried looking for Cho in the room, but she wasn't there. "Where's Cho?"  
  
"It's past a month, Mr. Potter. She left the Infirmary today."  
  
"Really? She's better now? Will she play in the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Quidditch game?"  
  
"I'm afraid not," sighed Madame Pomfrey. "We don't want her to over-work herself. She might be out of the hospital wing, but she still needs to take it easy. Would you like me to leave so you can speak to the four girls?"  
  
"Yes, that would be great," said Harry. Madame Pomfrey nodded and hurried off into her medical office.   
  
The four girls were lined up in four beds in a row on one side of the room. Harry pulled up a stool next to Tiffany, who had turned her head slowly and recognized Harry.  
  
"Harry... you're here..." she said with a weak smile.  
  
"Yes, I am. Are you all right?"  
  
"Well... we're not too well... We're better... than when we... first came in here..."  
  
"A lot... better..." wheezed Lucy.   
  
All the girls had turned their heads and were looking at Harry. Even Vicky, who was the farthest away from Harry, struggled to sit up.  
  
"Do any of you remember what had happened at your attack?"  
  
"No," answered Ruth.   
  
"Anything, at all?"  
  
"I... think I... might remember... something..." wheezed Vicky.   
  
"What do you remember?"  
  
"I remember we were... all going... somewhere... I remember... someone scaring us... from behind... I can... remember a... bright... red... light... actually, multi-coloured... and our screams... After that... I only... remember... waking up... in the... hospital... wing..."  
  
"Are you the only one who remembers anything from the attack?"  
  
"I can't... remember... anything..." said Ruth.  
  
"I can... only remember going... somewhere..." said Tiffany.  
  
"I remember... the screams... and... colours..." wheezed Lucy.  
  
"Do you remember where you were going, and why you were going there?"  
  
"No..." answered Lucy. "We have... no idea..."   
  
"Can you remember the day of the attack, before you were attacked?"  
  
"I remember... the lessons..." answered Ruth.  
  
"I can... remember... just a bit..." said Vicky.  
  
"We... both... remember... the classes... a bit..." said Tiffany, speaking for her and Lucy.  
  
"Do you remember talking to me that day?" asked Harry.  
  
"We... talked... to... you?" questioned Ruth.  
  
"Yeah, you wanted to meet with me," said Harry. "It was Tiffany who talked to me, then it was her and Lucy."  
  
"We... don't remember... at all... speaking... to you...that day..." said Tiffany.  
  
"You wanted to tell me some secrets," said Harry. "Do you remember any secrets or information about Princess Glory and Malfoy?"  
  
"No..." wheezed Lucy.   
  
All the others shook their heads, telling him that they didn't know any information that would be secret.  
  
"Oh, all right. I appreciate you talking to me," thanked Harry.  
  
"Don't... mention it... Harry..." said Ruth.  
  
"We... were... glad... to talk... to you..." said Vicky.  
  
"It's time for dinner," said Madame Pomfrey with a trolley of trays of food, pushing it towards the girls. "I think it's best if you leave, Harry."  
  
"All right. How long will they be staying in here?"  
  
"About a month and a week or so," sighed Madame Pomfrey. "It's a lot worse than Cho Chang's attack. You found her a lot sooner than we found these four girls. Ms. Chang had, let me think, at least half of her magic, blood and fat sucked out of her. This time, the four have at least 2/3 gone. It's a shame. I hope they find the culprit to the attacks."  
  
"Me too," said Harry. "It's been wonderful talking to you all. I'll see you soon."  
  
Harry walked out of the Infirmary and to the Great Hall. I guess we might never find out all the secrets they found out, thought Harry.  
  
Author's Note: Next chapter's going to be called "Quidditch Comes Back to Hogwarts". The Quidditch field will finally be ready to be played on. Pretty short but interesting chapter. Oh, and one more thing:  
  
PPPPLLLLLEEEEAAAASSSEEE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	19. Quidditch Returns to Hogwarts

Chapter 19  
  
Quidditch Returns to Hogwarts  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. DO I LOOK LIKE JK ROWLING TO YOU?!?!?! *suddenly realizes that people reading can't see her* Uh, sorry about that.  
  
Author's Note: Hey people, for the 19th time. But hang on, PLEASE! OK, recap? So, Harry, Ron and Hermione went to visit Joy, and then they went to visit Glory. During their visit, Harry and Ron got to see Glory's collection of potions and inventions. While looking, they found a hidden dungeon that had a certain chest that contained 'the Potion of the Undead', which was a potion, like the potion of Flesh, Bone and Blood... (or something like that)... that brought a spirit or person back to its original state or energy, and Harry and Ron realized that was the potion that Voldemort would be using to get back to life. They didn't know why Glory created it though (yeah, she invented it), but then they realized a quarter of it was gone! Voldemort was already using it! And now we're off to the 19th chapter, "Quidditch Returns to Hogwarts", which is pretty self-explanatory.  
  
  
  
After a long period of reconstructing the Quidditch pitch before and during the long winter season, the Quidditch field was finally ready to be played on by the end of March. As the Quidditch season continued, the Quidditch fans were getting excited for the game with Hufflepuff against Ravenclaw. Sadly, Cho couldn't play as Seeker for the game. The Ravenclaw team had quickly picked a new Seeker for their team to play. If Ravenclaw lost, she wouldn't be able to play another game for the school. Harry was very sad about that.   
  
For a whole entire week, there was talk of nothing other than Quidditch, which Hermione thought quite annoying With all the talk of Quidditch in the common room and pretending to play Quidditch, it was hard for Hermione to concentrate on her schoolwork.  
  
A few weeks before, Harry, Ron and Joy watched the Chudley Cannons game on Joy's teleview while Hermione went to Glory's rooms to update her SPEW website and see who visited it. Of course, the Chudley Cannons played triumphantly and had won the game. Ron's face was full of tears of excitement and happiness by the end of the match. Even if they were all in separate places, they had met each other again for the Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. Club, where they had learned about battle and protection techniques that Aurors used against vampires.  
  
The Quidditch match was on a Saturday afternoon, as usual. Unfortunately, the Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. Club had to cancel their meeting.   
  
Many students and all the teachers rushed to the benches and bleachers that Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, Harry went to the game with his friends and many of the other Quidditch-crazed Gryffindors (which were many).   
  
Harry had wondered if Cho would be watching the Quidditch game. He looked around into all the bleachers to see if he could spot Cho. It would be easier if I had an omnocular, thought Harry. He squinted to look at the Ravenclaws across from him. Huddled with her friends in the middle row of the bleachers was Cho. He tried waving his hands so she could see him, but after he thought there was no use. Luckily, Cho spotted Harry from the other side of the Quidditch field. She waved back at him and blew him a kiss, which made Harry feel warm inside.   
  
He also tried to look around and find Glory, but she was nowhere to be seen. She obviously remembered the last Quidditch game, thought Harry, recalling the last Quidditch game when a Bludger had hit Glory in the stalls and she had started beating up Crabbe, who was one of the Slytherin Beaters.   
  
A minute after Harry had waved back at Cho again, Lee Jordan started the game.  
  
"Hello, Hogwarts staff and students, and welcome to the second game of the Quidditch season," announced Lee Jordan. "I am, as you already know, your volunteer commentary speaker for the game. As you also know, I am now working at a Quidditch radio station-"  
  
"JORDAN!" scolded Professor McGonagoll. "You may have graduated from this school, but that doesn't give you the right to go off topic!"  
  
"Sorry, Professor McGonagoll!" apologized Lee Jordan. "Back to the game. It's a wonderful day for a Quidditch game, and today we'll be watching the Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff Quidditch match. Our teams are ready to come into the pitch. Everyone, please welcome the Huffelpuff team!"  
  
In yellow robes, the Hufflepuff Quidditch members flew up onto the Quidditch pitch mounted on their brooms. Rounds of cheers from those supporting the Hufflepuffs were echoed all over the field.  
  
"And now, please welcome the Ravenclaw Quidditch team!"  
  
The Ravenclaw players clad in blue robes flew out into the pitch on the opposing side of the Hufflepuffs, clutching the tips of their brooms. Madame Hooche, in her referee outfit, came from the stands with the box containing the Quidditch balls.  
  
"Madame Hooche has come out into the field with the Quidditch balls. Wow, she's aged from the last time I saw-"  
  
"JORDAN!"  
  
"Sorry about that, Professor McGonagoll."  
  
"I want a fair game today, all right?" said Madame Hooche. She opened the Quidditch chest and released the Quaffle, Bludgers and Snitch.  
  
"The Golden Snitch is released, and the game has begun!"  
  
It was a wonderful and exciting game. That moment was one of the few Quidditch experiences that Harry enjoyed a Quidditch match without worrying about Gryffindor winning. By the middle of the game, both houses were tied. The team whose Seeker caught the Snitch would determine who the winner was.  
  
"Ravenclaw Chaser Joey McFeen has the Quaffle, passes it to Henderson and throws it- Ah, the Hufflepuff Keeper caught it. The Hufflepuff Seeker is close to the Snitch, she's getting closer - closer - and she's caught it! Hufflepuff wins 250 to 100!"  
  
All the Hufflepuff supporters cheered as their Seeker, Susan Bones, flew around the pitch with the Golden Snitch. Sighs were heard all around the field from the Ravenclaw supporters. Harry could see Cho, in the stands, frowning and looking quite glum.   
  
"I wish they'd won," mumbled Harry to himself. "That way, Cho could have had another chance to play."  
  
"I think that was an exciting game," stated Joy as they all stepped off the bleachers and headed to the castle.  
  
"It still wasn't as good as the Chudley Cannons game," said Ron, who was still replaying the game in his head.   
  
"Let's just hurry up to go into the castle," moaned Hermione. "I want to add a few extra inches to my Astronomy essay, and I don't think I'll be able to concentrate nor sleep tonight from the looks of all the Gryffindor Quidditch fans."  
  
*****  
  
The Easter season came quickly, and Easter Sunday was the first week of April. It was planned that there would be an Easter Ball that Sunday, and afterwards there would be the Easter holidays. Harry wouldn't be able to leave Hogwarts for the holidays, since the Dursley family had gone to Manchester for Uncle Vernon's business trip. All his friends weren't going either because their parents were too busy.  
  
Everyone was getting ready for the evening of the Easter Ball. Harry had ordered a few cards and chocolate eggs for his friends and had received them a couple of days before the big night. He wrapped them quickly in colourful Easter wrapping (which gave him a hard time) and put them under his four-poster bed.   
  
Not too many people were fussing about presents, although some of the Princesses' fans (such as Ginny Weasley and Seamus Finnigan) tried finding wonderful gifts for them. Princesses Joy and Glory would be giving everyone an Italian Easter pastry accompanied with a finely-decorated porcelain egg.   
  
Harry was going to the ball with Cho Chang and was extremely excited about it.  
  
Not many people were invited; just the Hogwarts staff members, the students and a few of their parents. Lucius Malfoy would be attending, which made Harry and his friends a bit anxious. There would be very high security there, even more than the finding of the plans of the attack on Dumbledore. Everyone was on high alert; the incident of the Princesses' Birthday Ball was still fresh in their minds.  
  
At last, the day of the Easter Ball had come. Gryffindors passed a few gifts amongst their friends and ate the chocolate their families had given them. Aunt Petunia had sent Harry an Easter card and a small Easter cake with delicious icing. It was the third batch of good gifts he had received from the Dursleys in his life. He had also received an assortment of multi-coloured sugar-coated chocolate eggs from Remus, a few chocolates from Hermione and the Weasleys, and a porcelain egg and Easter pastries from Princesses Joy and Glory.   
  
Before the ball, Harry put on the nice shoes he had received from the Dursleys, the cologne he got from Hermione for Christmas, the nice chain he got from Joy, the watch he received from Glory and the leather dress robe that he had received from Hermine during the summer. He hadn't worn it all year, so the Easter Ball was his chance to try it out. He quickly went down into the common room where all his friends were.   
  
"Harry, come down!" shouted Ron. "We don't want to be late!"  
  
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" said Harry, as he ran down the steps into the common room.   
  
Ron was wearing the green dress robe Harry had given him at the last ball, Hermione had a nice, red dress robe with gold lace trimming with her bushy hair in a braid, and Joy was wearing a marvellous purple dress robe that was nicely embroidered in a floral design with a strip of jewels around the waist with lace around the edges and a v-neck collar sewn with gold fabric around it. She had her hair in a high ponytail and wore a diamond necklace with a large amethyst stone.  
  
"You all look wonderful," said Harry. "Joy, you look magnificent! I can see you're covered up a lot more."  
  
"I decided not to look so... revealing this time," answered Joy.  
  
"Are you still hurt by what Glory said to you?" asked Ron.  
  
"What she said was true. I need to cover up."  
  
"Oh, Harry! You're wearing the dress robe I bought you!" said Hermione, as she marvelled at how nice and sharp it looked on him.  
  
"You got him a dress robe?" said Ron angrily at Hermione.  
  
"I didn't know what else to get him! Besides, it was for his birthday."  
  
"You look wonderful, Harry!" complimented Joy. "Those robes are absolutely in!"  
  
"Are we all set?" asked Hermione.  
  
"I think so," said Joy.  
  
"Yep!" answered Ron.  
  
"Yes," responded Harry as well. "Are any of your parents coming?"  
  
"Mine obviously aren't," said Hermione.  
  
"My parents are visiting my brother Charlie in Romania," said Ron.  
  
"My parents are both busy," said Joy.  
  
"The Dursleys are obviously not coming, and Remus is probably busy doing his Auror work," said Harry.  
  
"Are you going to meet Cho in the Great Hall?" asked Joy.  
  
"Yes, I'm going to meet her at the entrance."  
  
"That's great. Let's go!"  
  
They all left the common room and went down to the Great Hall. There were the royal guards stationed at every corner, watching everyone and everything. The Entrance Hall was decorated in Easter decorations: bouncing bunny pictures, Easter eggs that had either a rabbit or a chic popping out every 5 minutes, swirling streamers, etc.   
  
Harry saw Cho, who was wearing a pink dress robe, waiting at the entrance of the Great Hall for him. He waved at her, and once she saw him, she waved back. Harry rushed over to Cho and gave her a hug.  
  
"Finally, you're here!" said Cho. "Do you want to go in?"  
  
"Of course!" said Harry.  
  
They both entered the Great Hall, which was nicely decorated in Easter decorations with large statues of eggs around the room. Up in the ceiling, there was a small flock of phoenixes flying around, and there were the Weird Sisters at the front of the Great Hall playing music while the students danced. There were tables of pumpkin juice fountains and sweets, with house-elves serving hors d'oeuvres to the guests. Harry could see Glory in an embroidered red-fitted robe with a high lace collar and a split which showed an orange ruffled petticoat underneath, and also wearing her tiara, royal ring and jewels, and her cross necklace. Malfoy, on the other hand, was in a dark blue robe beside Crabbe and Goyle who were wearing orange dress robes (which made them look like two suns). Glory and Malfoy were chatting with Malfoy's parents, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.   
  
"Do you want to dance?" asked Cho.  
  
"Sure," said Harry, even though he didn't like to dance very much.  
  
They walked into the dance floor and danced to the Weird Sisters' songs. At a slow song, Harry wrapped his arms around Cho so they would be close to each other. He was actually enjoying dancing, and he danced amusingly until they served dinner.   
  
At dinner, Harry and Cho sat with each other near Dean and Lavendar on Harry's side and a Hufflepuff couple on Cho's side. They had a delicious meal, consisted of a mushroom strudel as an entrée, followed by a buffet of turkey, vegetables, ribs, fresh bread, sausages, fruits, cheeses and other foods for the main course. That followed a buffet of various kinds of salads, which Cho greatly enjoyed. Afterwards, tons and tons of pastries appeared on the table, including a large cake-replica of the castle of Hogwarts. The slices of cake were passed around, and Harry dug his fork into the slice quickly. Cho giggled at the sight of Harry gobbling down the slice. He looked up at her and saw her giggling, so he smudged some icing on her nose, and they both started to fool around with the pastries. Harry quickly wiped the pastry off his face, and wiped Cho's face of the icing too.   
  
Once everyone had eaten their meals, the Weird Sisters started to play again. Harry and Cho got up from their seat and danced with each other. It was a lovely, starry night, which they could see from the bewitched ceiling.   
  
After a while of dancing, Cho left to go to the washroom. During her absence, Harry walked around the Great Hall and found Princess Joy, Ron and Hermione talking in a spot on the side of the dance floor.   
  
"Hello, Harry!" said Joy. "How's your evening with Cho?"   
  
"Lovely," he responded. "She had to go to the washroom though. Mind if I join you?"  
  
"No, not at all!" said Hermione.  
  
"So what are you all talking about?" asked Harry.  
  
"We were just talking about the Weird Sisters and our favourite songs," said Ron.  
  
"I personally like their ballad, 'One Lonely Hallowe'en Night'," said Hermione, "although Ron likes the song, 'Rocking on my Broom' and Joy likes the song, 'I Thought You Were a Phoenix, but You're Actually a Bat'."  
  
"Interesting," said Harry, who had no idea what to say because he didn't really listen to the Weird Sisters.   
  
"What did you and Cho talk about during the night?" asked Ron.  
  
"We talked a lot about Quidditch, and about the decorations," said Harry.  
  
"- and I believe you've met my dear sister, Joy, before," said a voice from behind them.  
  
They all turned around and found out the voice had come from Glory, who was standing with Malfoy and his parents. Crabbed and Goyle were at the sweets buffet table, stuffing their mouths full of pastries.  
  
"Yes, I do believe I've met her before," said Lucius Malfoy as he looked at Princess Joy. "Hello, Your Royal Highness. Are you enjoying your evening?"  
  
"Indeed, I am," she said with a fake smile spread across her face.  
  
"And these are your friends?" asked Narcissa.   
  
"Yes, they are," she replied.  
  
"That's strange," said Narcissa. "You'd think a well brought-up girl like you would have better friends."  
  
"It's rather sad, Mother," said Malfoy, smirking at them in his evil way. "She could have all the friends in the world, yet her best friends are a famous orphan, a cheap weasel and a Muggle-born!"  
  
All of the Malfoys laughed cruelly at the comment, which gave a sharp pain in Harry's heart. How ruthless can you get? thought Harry. He glared at Princess Glory, whose face was blank of emotion or expression. It didn't look like she felt sorry for them, nor did it seem like she laughed at them either.  
  
"Ronald Weasley, is that your name?" asked Narcissa Malfoy to Ron.  
  
"Yes it is," answered Ron quickly.  
  
"I heard your father got a raise," said Mr. Malfoy slyly. "Lucky for him. I suppose now he can pay off the cardboard box your family lives in, right?"  
  
A few cackles came from the evil three, and suddenly Joy's forced smile became a thin lip.   
  
"And to think, that boy is the Princess Joy's friend?" remarked Narcissa.  
  
"He's more than my friend," stated Joy proudly. "He's my boyfriend."  
  
A burst of laugh came from Malfoy's parents.  
  
"Really? You're not expecting the relationship to go far, are you?"  
  
"Actually, I do," answered Joy. "I think he'd make a wonderful husband."  
  
Ron's eyes almost popped out of their sockets at hearing what Joy said, and his ears became so red they completely matched his hair.  
  
"A husband?" questioned Mr. Malfoy. "Princess, you do know that if you marry this cheap, odious wizard he will be King?"  
  
"Yes, in fact I do," said Joy, revealing a smirk.  
  
"Wouldn't that be a horrible reign?" chuckled Mr. Malfoy.  
  
"I don't really take into thought your opinion on that," stated Joy. "Considering that you thought Lord Voldemort was a marvellous wizard, I don't think your opinion would matter much to me."  
  
Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy's jaws dropped at that remark, and looked at her in an odd way.  
  
"I should also recommend that you learn how to show respect to those ranking higher than you," continued Joy. "You sure know how to boss around those smaller than you, but you surely forget that you are only a little person compared to me, Mr. Malfoy. You may forget this, but one day you will have to bow to me, and if I do marry Ron Weasley, you will have to bow down to him as well."  
  
Ron almost choked at hearing that, and just when Harry thought his ears couldn't get any more red, they did.   
  
"I cannot believe you!" said Lucius Malfoy. "You, of all people! Mark my words, your sister and my son will rule and their reign will outwit and outshine yours and will become such an amazing one that you will never forget it, and that the world will never forget. When that day comes, your life will be turned upside down!"  
  
After saying this, Mr. Malfoy turned on his heel and left the scene, with his wife following him. Malfoy looked at Joy fearfully and gulped down hard. Glory tried to break the silence and nudged Malfoy.  
  
"Come on, let's go get something to eat," she said. "I'm hungry."  
  
"You just had a large meal!"  
  
"We'll go where Crabbe and Goyle are," she said.  
  
Glory grabbed Malfoy's arm and led him to the snack table where Goyle and Crabbe were stuffing their faces.  
  
"Glory, you literally eat as much as Crabbe and Goyle, and yet your figure and weight is nothing compared to them!" commented Malfoy, as he was dragged away.  
  
Harry shook his head, not being able to believe the scene that had just occurred.  
  
"You completely told him off," complimented Hermione. "Great job!"  
  
"Thanks," said Joy. "I appreciate the compliment."  
  
"Y-you, m-m-me, m-m-married?" stuttered Ron. "You really think so?"  
  
"Dreams come true, you know," she said, winking at Ron.  
  
"I cannot believe how rudely Lucius Malfoy talked to you," said Harry.  
  
"I think this just proves it more that he's a part of that awful scheme with Lord Voldemort and his son," said Joy. "He's completely going for their relationship!"  
  
"Oh, I can see Cho," said Harry. "I'll see you later."  
  
Harry rushed over to where Cho was, and Cho greeted him with a smile.  
  
"Harry, I'm so sorry that I took so long," said Cho. "What did you do while I was gone?"  
  
"Long story," he said. "Why don't we dance?"  
  
For the rest of the evening, both of them danced the night away and had a wonderful night. Harry still giggled to himself about the comments and comebacks Joy gave Lucius that night, and the look on the Malfoys' faces.  
  
*****  
  
"It's a perfect day for Quidditch!" stated Harry, as he brought all the Gryffindor Quidditch team members onto the pitch which its green grass gleaming like emeralds in the open sun and fresh air. "Ah... Stepping on the lush green grass of the pitch and looking up at the high goal hoops; I missed it all."  
  
"Harry, you're starting to scare me," said Ron. "You sound like Oliver Wood, or even Angelina Johnson. You're like a crazed Quidditch maniac!"  
  
"I'm not a crazed Quidditch maniac!" said Harry. "It's just a great day for Quidditch and I've missed playing on it."  
  
"You're right," said Joy. "I missed the Quidditch pitch too."  
  
"Ginny? Do you have the Quidditch balls?" asked Harry, turning his head to Ginny behind him.  
  
"The chest is right here," said Ginny, carrying the giant chest which held the Quidditch balls.  
  
"Wonderful. Ginny, you can leave that chest right there. I'll take the balls out. Everyone, spread out where you're supposed to be positioned!"  
  
The players kicked up their brooms and flew up in the air above the field. Harry opened the chest. First, he threw up the Quaffle to the Chasers: Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan and Danielle Ringum. Ducking before, he released the violent Bludgers into the open air to the Beater: Princess Joy and Ginny Weasley. Finally, he opened up a little lock in the chest, and pulled out the Golden Snitch. He let out the little flying ball which sped quickly off into the field. After he let it loose in the pitch for a while, he kicked off his broom and flew up above the field.   
  
As he looked around the area for the Snitch, he spotted Dean passing the Quaffle to Seamus, then to Danielle, who shot the Quaffle but was caught by Ron, who was humming to himself, 'Weasley is Our King'. He also saw Joy and Ginny hitting the Bludgers away from the four players and passing it to themselves. All the players were doing well. He looked down at the yards of grass, and spotted Cho Chang who was watching him from the side. He waved at her, and she waved back and blew him a kiss. It was an absolutely wonderful practice.   
  
Once he caught sight of the Snitch, he sped quickly to follow it and in a few minutes had caught it right above one of the hoops on the other side. While the Snitch was battering its wings inside his palm, he had remembered the wonderful times he had had playing Quidditch. He had missed the game so much those past few months. As he gripped onto the Snitch, he could see in the corner of his eye Cho clapping at Harry's catch. Harry winked at her, and released the Snitch again. As he waited a while for the Snitch to fly around before he went to retrieve it, he spotted two other people near the sides of the Quidditch pitch.   
  
Looked closely, he could see Draco Malfoy and Princess Glory, who were talking to each other and walking along the sides of the Quidditch field. Malfoy had his arm around her shoulder, and was talking proudly to her. They stopped to look at the Gryffindor team playing, and Malfoy scowled at the sight of them. He could have had a chance to win the tournament, but his scheme to win had backfired and his team was disqualified from winning the Cup.   
  
Malfoy looked up at the players high in the sky, and his eyes met Harry's, which were glaring back at him. Malfoy scrunched his nose and loured at him, as Harry did back to him. Glory started to become a bit frightened at the Bludgers circling in the sky, and nudged Malfoy for them to walk away from the pitch. Malfoy, who had turned away from scowling at Harry, walked away with his girlfriend.  
  
"To think that Malfoy had become a bit nicer near the middle of the year with Glory's influence," mumbled Harry to himself. "I wonder what changed Malfoy to make him go back to his normal, horrible self."  
  
Author's Note: Next chapter is called - "Relationship Vs. Friendship". Harry gets a hard time balancing his life with Cho and his life with his friends, and he starts spending more time with Cho than his buddies, which gets them ANGRY!!. Read on, it's good! OH, and PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!! 


	20. Relationship Vs Friendship

Chapter 20  
  
Relationship Vs. Friendship  
  
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Harry Potter. It'd be nice though. I could know what happens at the end of the 7th book! MWUAHAHAHAHA!!!!! (Okay, that was a bit freaky there).  
  
Author's Note: Hey, people! OK, recap: So basically, Quidditch field is fixed and the Quidditch season begins. Ravenclaw loses to Hufflepuff, and Harry starts practicing with his team (and he loves it). SO here's the next chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Harry was so overwhelmingly happy by Cho's recovery that he had spent a lot more time with her than he ever had before. It was as if every day they spent some time together, whether it was talking to each other between classes, during lunch, after classes, or just being together. Harry had even spent countless times during classes thinking about the tingle of holding Cho's hand, or the next time he and Cho would see each other again.   
  
As Harry thought back about the years before, at least 3 years ago, he remembered how he had had a small crush on Cho. After a while, it had become a bigger crush which had been ruined by their horrible date on Valentine's Day, but his feelings for her soon came back to him during the summer. That year, his crush for her had turned into love. He was so glad that he could share those feelings with such a beautiful girl.  
  
Unfortunately, the more he saw of Cho, the less he saw of his friends. Once in a while, one of his friends would ask him if he wanted to stay with them and study, to go to the library or to hang out in Joy's rooms. Most of the time, he had refused those offers and the look of discouragement always appeared vividly on their faces. Nonetheless, Harry still kept going out with Cho. He knew that his friends understood about his feelings towards Cho.  
  
The trip to Hogsmeade was quickly approaching and everyone was getting ready for the Hogsmeade weekend. Those who were going couldn't stop talking about it, and those who weren't going couldn't stop moaning about it. Harry was excited to go to Hogsmeade with Cho because it was where they had their first date.   
  
A few days before the Hogsmeade trip, Ron had gone up to Harry in the common room to ask him something.  
  
"Hi, Harry!" he said.  
  
"Oh hello, Ron!" greeted Harry, who was sitting on the sofa, reading a few of the chapters in his Transfiguration textbook that were assigned. "What did you come here for?"  
  
"Joy, Hermione and I wanted to ask if you could join us on our plan to explore Hogsmeade together," said Ron eagerly. "We haven't spent much time together since Cho got out of the hospital wing."  
  
"I'm sorry, Ron," said Harry. "I'm going with Cho."  
  
"You're always with Cho," said Ron. "Why don't you stay with us for a while?"  
  
"Sorry, I already promised her," said Harry. "Maybe next time?"  
  
"I guess so. Don't you at least want to ride in Joy's car?"  
  
"No, I was going to ride with Cho. Sorry."  
  
"Sure, whatever..."  
  
Disappointed, Ron went back to doing his assignment for Charms and his Prefect duties. Harry was rather sad that he couldn't go with them, but he was really looking forward to spending time with his girlfriend.  
  
The exciting day had finally come and all the Hogwarts students who were in their 3rd year and above loaded onto the Hogwarts Express to go to Hogsmeade. Harry had met up with Cho before going onto the Hogwarts Express, and had managed to get a private booth together.  
  
"It's so wonderful to have our own private booth, isn't it?" asked Cho to Harry.  
  
"Yeah, it's great."  
  
"I heard that the boutique that Princess Joy's mom owns is having a sale. Why don't we go?"  
  
Harry wasn't too excited about that. He didn't really care for clothes, and besides, wasn't that store for girls? He wasn't too comfortable with the idea, but whatever made her happy, he would do it.  
  
"Sure, we can go," he replied.  
  
"It's so strange," said Cho. "This reminds me of one time Cedric Diggory and I shared a private booth in the Hogwarts Express. Strangely, I had a dream about him last night. It was horrible."  
  
"Er... Okay..."  
  
Harry didn't know how to respond to that. Why was she trying to talk about Cedric? He was her boyfriend now, she didn't need to talk about her previous one.  
  
"You know, sometimes I wish Cedric would still be alive. I cried for days last year thinking about him. It's been so wonderful being with you, Harry. Knowing that you had known him and seen him for his last seconds on Earth kind of makes me feel better. It's so wonderful to have you for a boyfriend, Harry!"  
  
It was the last sentence that had spread a smile on Harry's face. He kind of felt uncomfortable those times Cho had asked about Cedric, but the times Cho had given him compliments and had said wonderful phrases such as, 'You're wonderful, Harry!' or,  
  
'There's no one I'd rather be with than you!', had always warmed Harry's heart.  
  
During the time they had dated, Cho had asked and talked about Cedric. She asked how he died, and what Harry knew of him his last year alive. Harry kind of understood what Cho had went through. Losing a loved one was very hard, and that feeling was fresh in his mind since he had lost Sirius last year.   
  
He just felt a bit weird when Cho brought up his death however. She had also done some strange things that Harry didn't understand at all. Once, Cho had wanted them both to get new hairdos at the salon, which completely freaked-out Harry. There was also a time that year that she got suspicious about Hermine and him (again, just like in Harry's 5th year). He had come to realize there were just some things that he would never understand about girls.  
  
The train had finally arrived, and both of them got off and walked into Hogsmeade. They first went to the Three Broomsticks, where they had a Korean-meal special. Harry remembered when Remus and he had gone over to Cho's house for a Korean meal, which was absolutely delicious. Cho had missed her parents' cooking and had wanted to try out the special. Harry agreed to the idea and they both went to the Three Broomsticks.  
  
After their delicious Oriental meal, they went to the boutique that Cho had talked about on the train. The store had beautiful dress robes, normal robes and other forms of apparel that were nicely designed, and were 40% off. Witches were going mad inside the boutique, looking at all the beautiful robes. Cho had looked at a display full of nice dress robes. She looked at each one and held it up to herself in the mirror.   
  
"Which one do you like the best?" asked Cho.  
  
"I - Er... You'd look good in all of them," responded Harry.  
  
"Seriously, tell me which one is the best."  
  
Harry looked at the robes, which all seemed pretty to Harry. Cho was holding up four robes in particular: a pink one that had a hem sewn with purple beads around the edges, a green one with lace at the edges, a blue one that was ruffled at the bottom, and a shorter summer-robe that was mauve with an embroidery on the front, that was slim-fitted near the chest and waist with a bit of beads in the middle.  
  
"The mauve one is nice," said Harry. "It's very girly and it's short for the summer."  
  
"Really?"   
  
She looked at herself with the mauve robe in the mirror.  
  
"It's a wonderful choice, but is it me?"  
  
Harry looked at her strangely from that question. How could a robe be 'you'? It didn't make sense at all.  
  
"Yeah, I suppose..." said Harry, who didn't know what else to say.  
  
"You're right, it's beautiful. I'm so glad to have a boyfriend with such good taste," she said, as she gave Harry a kiss on the cheek. His face blushed and he felt great inside. I have good taste, thought Harry. She thinks I have good taste!  
  
Harry and Cho hurried to the cashier where they bought the dress. Cho was very happy about her purchase and Harry still couldn't get over the fact that he had good taste. They explored the village some more and had something to eat for dinner before their time to leave had arrived. The two of them found another private booth they could share, and talked a bit about the Quidditch game and the Cup.   
  
Once the train had arrived at Hogwarts, they walked to the castle hand-in-hand and kissed each other goodbye to go to their separate common rooms. By the time Harry had gotten to the Gryffindor common room, Joy, Ron and Hermione were already sitting down on the couches.  
  
"How was your date?" asked Joy, as Harry sat down on a couch in the room.  
  
"It was pretty good," said Harry. "Cho said I have good taste."  
  
"Wow," said Hermione. "I never knew that."  
  
"Neither did I," sighed Harry.  
  
"Harry, do you want to go to the library with us to do research on that Herbology project?" asked Ron.  
  
"I'm not too sure," said Harry. "I might be doing something with Cho."  
  
"You're always doing something with Cho!" scowled Ron.  
  
"Hey, she's my girlfriend, all right?"  
  
"Really?" shouted Ron, who stood up. "So I suppose you put your girlfriend, who you've only really known since this year, in front of your friends, who you've known and have been by your side for 6 years!"  
  
"You're obviously not standing by my side anymore!" shouted Harry back. "Can't you understand that I'm in love with this girl?"  
  
"That doesn't give you the right to put off all of us! We've been trying to hang out with you for the past while, but no, you always want to be with Cho!"  
  
"I haven't seen her in a long time," said Harry. "She was in the hospital wing for a month!"  
  
"So? You visited her almost every week. Plus, it still wasn't nice of you to completely forget about all your friends!"  
  
"I haven't forgotten about you!" said Harry. "I still hang around you!"  
  
"Barely!" shouted Ron. "You've abandoned us for that girl!"  
  
"She's not just a girl, she's my girlfriend!"  
  
"WOULD YOU LISTEN TO ME?" shouted Ron loudly. "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH WITH YOU AND CHO! I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE IN LOVE, BUT BECAUSE OF IT, YOU TREAT ALL OF US LIKE- "  
  
"You're exaggerating!" said Harry. "None of those things are true."  
  
"Are you sure?" questioned Ron. "Then tell me, Harry, when was the last time we all actually hung out together?"  
  
Harry tried to reply, but he couldn't find an answer. It had been a long time since he'd spent quality time with them.  
  
"I- I'm not too sure," he answered. "I know I haven't spent much time with you, but you've got to understand that I love her."  
  
"You still shouldn't ignore us," said Ron.   
  
"But you always get to be with Joy," said Harry. "I can't."  
  
"Even when I'm with Joy, I always make sure to hang around you and Hermione."  
  
"It's true," said Hermione, who spoke for the first time. "I'm dating Viktor, but I don't dedicate my life to him."  
  
"I thought you'd understand, Hermione!" said Harry.  
  
"I think you're getting a bit carried away," said Hermione. "You shouldn't forget about your friends when dating, but you have! You take it so seriously."  
  
"What's so wrong about that?" asked Harry. "And Joy, you agree with them?"  
  
"Harry, we miss you," said Joy. "Every single time we ask you to hang out with us, you say you're doing something with Cho. Ron's right; you've abandoned us."  
  
"It's not true," said Harry. "It isn't."  
  
"You're going to spend more time with us now, right?" asked Joy. "You realize now that you're ignoring us?"  
  
"No, I'm not going to spend more time with you!" said Harry. "If you can't realize that I want to spend time with Cho and how much she had suffered, then I don't want to spend more time with you."  
  
After saying that, he ran up to his dormitory and shut the door. He entered the room and flopped on his bed. How could they say those things? thought Harry to himself. They know she suffered a lot, and they know I love her. Why can't they understand?  
  
He decided that the only one he could trust and he could talk to was Remus. He took out a piece of parchment, a quill and a pot of ink and dipped it quickly into the ink as he started writing his letter to him.  
  
Dear Remus,  
  
I've had a huge fight with my friends. You remember my girlfriend, Cho, and that she was attacked, right? Well, she's out of the hospital wing now. We've been spending a lot of time together, and there may have been times that I didn't spend much time with my friends. My friends, especially Ron, are mad at me that I don't spend time with them and that I've ignored them for the past while. Why can't they understand how I feel about her? Please answer back and lend me some advice.  
  
Harry  
  
  
  
Harry glared at his quill, which was one of the quills that Ron gave him for his birthday. He felt so angry at Ron that he wanted to chuck it out the window, but he decided not to; he would be mature about this. He rolled up the letter and slid it under his bed. He would bring it to Hedwig in the Owlery later. As he thought back at what Ron and his friends had said, his insides trembled at the thought that his best friends couldn't understand him. With this, a tear fell from his cheek as he fell asleep.   
  
*****  
  
For a while, Harry didn't talk to any of his three friends. He decided instead to talk to Neville, Dean and Seamus, who were glad to speak to him. If they think they're being ignored, I'll show them what it is to be ignored, he thought to himself. He did indeed try to ignore them, but not because of revenge. He couldn't stand to look at their faces from the things they had said. There had been times when Joy went up to Harry with a kind expression to talk to Harry, but he couldn't stand to talk to her. Even if she was royalty, he still didn't want to speak with her or any of them.   
  
As they kept a distance from each other and completely ignored one another, the whole school witnessed the dream team not speaking to each other. Malfoy laughed at the matter, as did Snape, but Professor McGonagoll and a few of the other teachers thought it unusual and unfortunate.  
  
The morning after he wrote the letter, he sent it off to Remus with Hedwig. He was now waiting for a reply any day.   
  
One day after classes, he saw Cho and caught up with her. She was very glad to see him, and he was obviously glad to see her.  
  
"Hi, Cho!" he greeted happily.  
  
"Oh hello, Harry!" she greeted back. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I wanted to ask if you and I could maybe take a walk around the castle like we did last week."  
  
"Harry, I'm sorry," apologized Cho. "I already have plans to hang around with my friends. I haven't spent time with them in so long."  
  
"We haven't seen each other much because you were in the hospital wing," said Harry. "I really wanted to spend the night with you."  
  
"Harry, I can't spend all my time with you," she said. "My friends are a large part of my life, and so are you. I've already spent a lot of time with you. I have to go. I'll see you soon."  
  
After saying this, she left Harry to catch up with her friends, leaving Harry alone. How could she do this to me? he thought to himself. I thought she understood how important it was to be together! Tears of fury dripped from his eyes down to his cheeks. He ran out of the hallways and to the entrance to the common room. The Pink Lady, who was enjoying a cup of tea, looked down at Harry, who was rather depressed.  
  
"Passw- Harry, what happened?" she asked him.  
  
"Nothing," he said back. "Just nothing."  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure! Dragonus firinus!"  
  
"As you wish," sighed the Pink Lady, as she opened the entrance to the common room. Harry rushed up the stairs and into his dormitory bedroom. He lay on his bed and stared out the window.   
  
"Why won't Remus hurry up with his letter?" asked Harry to himself. "Sirius would have been quicker about it."  
  
At the thought of his deceased godfather, another rush of sorrow swept over him, and a few other tears fell down his face. He wiped them quickly and went back into the common room. He had a lot of homework that evening, and as always, he dragged himself along to finish it. He felt that he was always dragging himself through life, but since the end of term last year, he was dragging himself through life without a godfather.  
  
*****  
  
The next morning, Harry sat at the Gryffindor table eating his breakfast with Seamus Finnigan. He glared at Ron, Hermione and Joy, who were deep into a conversation. As he put his fork of bacon to his lips, he heard the fluttering sound of wings from high above him. He glared up to see that the Owl Post had finally come, and he was eager to read Remus' reply. Hedwig swooped down from the ceiling and rested on the edge of where Harry was sitting with a letter in her mouth. Harry took the letter from her and petted her affectionately. He quickly opened the letter to read it.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
I'm glad your girlfriend has been released from the hospital wing. She suffered quite a lot. On the other hand, I'm very disappointed in you. How could you do that to your friends? Cho might be the love of your life now, but she might not be in a few years. I'm not saying that your relationship with Cho will never work out, but teenage romances don't usually last for a life time.  
  
Friendship, unlike romances, can go on for as long as you live, but as long as you take care of your friendship. Having friends like you have is such a precious thing that you shouldn't blow it all off for a girl, even if she's 'your love'. You have to find a balance between them both. I remember when I was your age and James and Lily were going out. Despite that he was going out with her, he made sure that he spent enough time with his friends. You've got to understand that too.  
  
Because we worked hard at our friendship, your father, Sirius and I were friends for a long time. Look what happened to Pettigrew; he left us and now he's dead from the war because he was with Voldemort. You've all got to stick together, no matter what.  
  
I really hope you take what I've said into consideration. Please make up with your friends and repair your friendship.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Remus Lupin  
  
  
  
Harry looked up from the letter he was reading. Remus had given him a whole new perspective to the situation at hand. How could he have been so stupid? Ron was right; Ron and Hermione had been supporting him and had been on his side for the past 6 years, and Joy was doing the same that year. How could he risk something so valuable? As Hedwig flew back to the Owlery, Harry rolled the letter back up, put it in his pocket and walked to his friends. When they realized he was beside them, they stared up at him.  
  
"What are you doing here?" asked Ron.  
  
"I wanted to apologize," said Harry. "I was such an idiot. I hadn't realized how valuable all you three are to me. You've helped me out and I've underestimated how precious our friendship is. You two, Hermione and Ron, have been with me for so long. You helped me save the Philosopher's Stone from Professor Quirrell, you helped me get into the Chamber of Secrets and you helped me find out that my dear deceased godfather, who probably left to a better place, wasn't the criminal I thought he was. And Joy, if it wasn't for you, Lord Voldemort would still be at large, we wouldn't have found half the stuff that we found out this year, and you've made our year a lot more enjoyable. I'm tremendously sorry for what I've done. Will you ever forgive me?"  
  
"Of course we will," said Hermione, smiling. "We had an idea you'd come to your senses sooner or later. We're glad to have you as a friend too."  
  
"You're so touching!" said Ron sarcastically, as he pretended to cry. "No, I'm joking. You mean a lot to us, Harry! We really missed you."  
  
"Did you really mean all those things that you said?" asked Joy.  
  
"Of course I did! You guys mean the world to me!"  
  
"This calls for a group hug!" shouted Ron, as all of them gave each other a hug.   
  
"We're so glad to have you back that you won't believe it!" said Joy with one of her famous smiles. "So, what do you want to do tonight?"  
  
"Why don't we go see Hagrid?" suggested Ron. "He told me we can get a sneak-peak at what he's showing us next class."  
  
"I don't know," said Hermione. "I wanted to do my good copy for Astronomy-"  
  
"Let me guess," said Ron. "Now you're going to abandon us for your homework, who is, of course, the love of your life?"  
  
"Ron!" scolded Joy.  
  
"I'm kidding!"  
  
"Don't worry, it won't take me long to do it any," said Hermione.  
  
"It's glad to be back," said Harry.  
  
*****  
  
After Remus' letter and his conversation with his friends, Harry spent more time with his pals and a little less time with Cho. He had now what one would call a 'balance' between his relationship and friendship. He later wrote a letter back to Remus, thanking him immensely for his advice. Harry's life wasn't dragging along anymore.  
  
A week after he had gone back to being with his friends, there was a large meeting of all the Ministries for Magic at the Ministries of Magic Council Auditorium, which was located in London and was hidden from Muggles, just like Grimmauld Place and St. Mungo's Hospital. The meeting was concerning if the Wizarding World should keep their Monarchy or be a republic, and the meeting took place on a weekend. From the school, Dumbledore, Joy and Glory would attend the meeting, and both princesses didn't look very well in the morning. Glory was a nervous wreck, and Joy stared blankly into space many times as she sat at the Gryffindor table during breakfast.   
  
"You're going to be fine," said Ron to Joy, who was sitting right next to him. "They seriously can't take away the Monarchy. You both are amazing!"  
  
"Besides, it's just a meeting to discuss the topic," implied Hermione. "They're not going to make any decisions today."  
  
"They're going to make the decision next meeting though," said Joy, clutching her fork tightly.   
  
"Don't worry," said Harry. "No matter what, we'll be with you when you get back, comforting you."  
  
"Thanks!" she said. "I'm so glad to have all of you as friends."  
  
"May I please see Princesses Glory and Joy?" said Professor Dumbledore at the head of the Great Hall.  
  
"I have to go," said Joy. "We're going to be getting ready to leave. I'll see you at the end of the weekend. Goodbye!"  
  
"Bye!" they all said.  
  
Stumbling with nerves, Joy stood up from the Gryffindor table and went to Professor Dumbledore with her sister, Glory. They left the Great Hall shortly after.  
  
"I hope everything goes well," said Hermione.  
  
"I'm really going to miss her this weekend," said Ron.  
  
It was a very sorrowful weekend, indeed. All three of them were constantly worried about Joy. They had been worrying about Joy when she was sick, but this time it was a bit different. When Joy was sick, they knew she would get better. For this weekend, the Ministries of Magic were talking about the future of their friend and their decision at the next meeting could change their friend's life dramatically. Who knew if the matter would 'get better'!   
  
By Sunday evening, the weekend came to an end and Harry, Ron and Hermione waited impatiently in the common room for Joy to come back from the meeting. Ron was the most nervous, for he was walking back and forth with sweat pouring out of him, while Hermione lied down on the sofa and Harry sat on the edge of his chair. No one else was fidgeting or worried at all.   
  
Just when they were at the peak of their anxiety, Joy entered the Gryffindor common room with a faint smile on her face. Harry and Hermione rose from where they were sitting or lying down and Ron jumped, and approached Joy quickly.  
  
"So, did everything go well?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Yes, our side is winning," said Joy. "More and more ministries are supporting the Monarchy. At least three quarters of the Ministries of Magic are on our side."  
  
"That's wonderful!" shouted Ron. "That's absolutely wonderful!"  
  
"I know," said Joy.   
  
"When's the next meeting?" asked Harry.  
  
"It's the day after we leave Hogwarts," said Joy. "Anybody's welcome to come."  
  
"Really?" said Ron. "We can come?"  
  
"Of course," she said. "There will be special benches for guests to sit."  
  
"I'm just so happy everything went well!" said Ron as he hugged Joy tightly.  
  
"I'm glad too," said Joy.  
  
As they all sat down, Seamus passed by them, wondering what was going on.  
  
"Hello, folks!" he said. "What was all the commotion about?"  
  
"Did you know about that meeting with all the Ministries for Magic?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yeah, I heard about that. I can't believe they're thinking of taking the Monarchy away. It's so sad that some magical nations let block-heads ruin the Wizarding World."  
  
"I hear you!" agreed Ron.  
  
"So what happened?" asked Seamus.  
  
"Our side is winning," said Joy. "Three quarters of the Ministries want to keep the Monarchy."  
  
"That's great!" said Seamus. "How was Glory?"  
  
"She was a nervous wreck as usual," said Joy. "She vomited before we went in the council room. She's laying off the nail-biting though. She only bit her nails twice during the whole thing."  
  
"Poor thing," said Seamus. "I heard everyone's welcome to the last meeting."  
  
"Yes, anyone can come," said Joy.  
  
"I'll be there! Bye!"  
  
"Bye!"  
  
Joy told Harry, Ron and Hermione all that had happened at the meeting. Harry hoped for the best for his friend, for the decision could change the Wizarding World and Joy and Glory's lives, for better or for worse...  
  
Author's Note: Next chapter's called, "Game for the Cup". It's a Quidditch chapter where Gryffindor and Hufflepuff play for the Quidditch Cup, which makes Harry a nervous wreck 'cause he's captain! 


	21. Game for the Cup

Chapter 21  
  
Game for the Cup  
  
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Harry Potter. Oh, and I especially don't own the song, "Weasley is Our King".   
  
Author's Note: Hey! So recap - Because Cho was finally out of the hospital wing, Harry started to spend A LOT of time with her and not with his friends. At one point, Ron, Hermione and Joy gave Harry a real heated argument that he was abandoning them. He thought 'they didn't understand' and wrote to Remus about it and asked for advice. The next day, he wanted to spend time with Cho but she wanted to be with her friends instead. Harry gets really mad, and then he gets a letter back from Remus telling him that friendship is more important than his teenage romance and he makes up with his friends. During the weekend, Joy, her sister and Dumbledore go to the Ministries of Magic meeting to talk about if they should have a monarchy, and their side is winning. OK, now on to the chapter! (By the way, put in your review if you like the recaps, because you're going to review, right?).  
  
As the last month of the school year approached, students studied hard for their exams, prepared themselves to leave for the summer, and got ready for the big Quidditch game that would determine which team would win the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup. Both the Hufflepuff team and Gryffindor team were under a lot of pressure. Harry made his team practice countless times to prepare themselves, but it still wasn't enough for Harry. Every night he lied awake thinking about that final game. He kept on reviewing all their strategies in his head before he went to bed every night. Now he knew how Oliver Wood and Angelina Johnson had felt.  
  
Their final practice was the evening before the game. Harry just had to have another practice before the match to reassure himself that they were ready.   
  
Harry was worried sick over the Quidditch match the whole evening before the game, and he was anxious for the entire night too. His palms and face were pouring droplets and more droplets of sweat, as his heart beat raced, and all he could think about was that one game. He even fell asleep thinking about the next day. We have to win this, he thought to himself over and over again. We just have to win.  
  
Harry woke up all sweaty and shaken in the morning. He got dressed quickly, still reviewing Quidditch strategies, and after, he walked down into the common room where many Gryffindors cheered when he entered the room. Despite that, he still didn't feel well, and he headed to the Great Hall. There, he saw his friends who waved at him to sit near them. As he sat down, they all greeted him warmly.  
  
"Hello, Harry!" greeted Hermione warmly.  
  
"Hi, Harry!" said Joy with her famous smile.  
  
"Hey, Captain!" said Ron. "Ready for the big game?"  
  
"I don't know," sighed Harry. He was so tense that he wasn't sure that he'd be ready.  
  
"Don't worry," said Joy. "Quidditch is just a game. The main idea is to have fun, right?"  
  
"Maybe," murmured Ron.  
  
"Ron!" scolded Joy.  
  
"Fine. Harry, it's just a game. There's nothing to be worried about."  
  
"Yes, there is!" stated Harry angrily. "You have no idea what pressure I'm under because I'm captain! Everyone in Gryffindor is counting on me!"  
  
"They're not just counting on you!" said Hermione. "They're counting on the whole team."  
  
"But I'm the team's leader!" implied Harry. "If someone screws up, I feel like I screwed up!"  
  
"Don't give yourself such a hard time," said Joy. "Eat something, it'll make you feel better."  
  
"I don't feel like eating," he said.  
  
"Harry, you have to eat!" said Hermione.  
  
"I'm not hungry."  
  
"If you don't eat, I'm going to stuff food down your throat!" scolded Ron.  
  
"You sound like my Grandma," commented Joy.  
  
"Fine," said Harry, giving up. "I'll eat some bacon and toast, all right?"  
  
Harry put some bacon and toast on his plate and filled his cup with pumpkin juice. He ate his breakfast slowly; his breakfast had never been more hard to gulp down. Nonetheless, he ate it anyway, and Joy gave him a pat on the back as if saying, 'Good job'.   
  
The afternoon they'd play the game approached very slowly. It was as if time had suddenly slowed down. When it was finally afternoon, Harry, in nerves, stumbled to the changing room where the Gryffindor team members changed into their Quidditch robes and got their brooms ready. Harry looked closely at his Stella Velocita 29 and examined every inch of it to make sure it would fly smoothly. He cleaned it once again with the broom kit Glory had given him.  
  
"Bring me luck," he said to the broom (oddly).  
  
Soon enough, it was time for them to go onto the pitch. They all mounted on their brooms and put themselves in order. When their team was called, they flew into the field with the roaring fans cheering them on. They took their places as the Hufflepuff team was called into the field. Dots of yellow flew into the field and came closer to them until they were recognized as the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Everyone went into place and got ready to start the game.  
  
"Hello, students and staff of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" called out Lee Jordan. "This is the final game of the season, which determines who wins the victorious Hogwarts Quidditch Cup. Boy, would I not want to be in the captains' places right now! Their hearts must be racing like mad, and their palms all sweaty-"  
  
"JORDAN!" shouted Professor McGonagoll.  
  
"Sorry, Professor. I just wanted to let the crowd in on the perspective of the team players right now. To continue..."  
  
Harry absolutely hated what Lee Jordan had said, but it was true. His heart was racing like mad and his palms were completely sweaty that they started to slip off the broom. He tried to put more grip onto his broom so he wouldn't slip.  
  
"Right next to me is the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup," said Lee Jordan, pointing to the glowing trophy beside him. "This will be won by the team who wins the game. Good luck to you all!"  
  
Madame Hooche brought the Quidditch chest into the field.  
  
"Everyone better follow the rules with no cheating," said Madame Hooche, as she   
  
opened the chest. "This will be your last chance at Quidditch this year, all right? On your marks... get set... go!"  
  
The Quaffle, Bludgers and Golden Snitch were released into enthusiasm-filled air. The Golden Snitch vanished quickly into the open blue, while the Bludgers flew rapidly around the field as Ginny tried knocking them away from the Gryffindor players.  
  
"Gryffindor Chaser Seamus Finnigan has the Quaffle! He passes it to Dean Thomas- who passes it to Danielle Ringum! She shoots - she scores! Gryffindor 10, Hufflepuff 0!"  
  
Hails of Gryffindor supporters were ringing in the players' ears. The Hufflepuff Keeper, Justin Finch-Fletchley, grabbed the Quaffle that had went through the left hoop and threw it to a Chaser on his team.   
  
"Hufflepuff Keeper Justin Finch-Fletchley has given the Quaffle to Hufflepuff Chaser Linda Winny. She's flying with it - she passes it to Chaser Laura Wong - she passes it to Chaser Jake McLake and shoots- Oh, and Gryffindor Keeper Ron Weasley catches it! You know, Ron's brothers, Fred and George Weasley, are the legendary pranksters of the school who became famous last year when-"  
  
"JORDAN, YOU BETTER NOT GET OFF TOPIC!!!!" shouted Professor McGonagoll.  
  
"Sorry, Professor McGonagoll! And now back to the game. Ron Weasley shoots it to Danielle Ringum who - a Bludger is coming her way and - is saved, Her Royal Highness Princess Joy has hit it away, saving Danielle. Danielle passes it to Seamus -who passes it to Dean Thomas - he's flying to the Hufflepuff hoops - he passes it back to Seamus - he shoots, and Finch-Fletchley catches it!"  
  
Harry was trying to look for the Snitch with Susan Bones, the Hufflepuff Seeker, not far away. He tried to fly slowly above the field to find it. The Hufflepuff Keeper, Justin Finch-Fletchley, had passed the Quaffle to the Chaser Jake McLake who was flying away with it.  
  
"McLake has the Quaffle now - he passes it quickly to Winny - throws it to Wong - she's really flying that thing to Ron Weasley's hoops - she shoots hard - Ron saves it by hitting it with the end of his broom - my goodness! The Quaffle was hit so hard that it's   
  
going across the field - near the Hufflepuff hoops and - score! Ron Weasley has saved the Quaffle and has scored! 20 to 0 for Gryffindor!"  
  
More applause came from the crowds, as the spectators sang out loud Ron's famous song:  
  
'Weasley can save anything,  
  
He never leaves a single ring,   
  
That's why Gryffindors all sing:  
  
Weasley is our King!'  
  
Harry could see Ron smiling and waving at the crowd, his cheeks a darker shade of red than his hair. It was 30 points for Gryffindor and 50 points for Hufflepuff after that Harry spotted the Snitch to his left and sped towards it. He followed it as quickly as he could, but then Susan Bones was on his tail and started to follow Harry.  
  
"The Seekers have found the Snitch and are speeding towards it - Harry Potter  
  
is in the lead - Susan Bones is getting closer - now they're neck-at-neck!"  
  
Susan Bones was very close to Harry and he tried to speed off as fast as he could  
  
away from her. He looked down at the small digital screen on his broom; there was a button on it that read 'SPEED'. Still watching the Snitch and making sure Bones didn't fly off (which was very hard), he pushed the button and on the screen reading,   
  
ACCELERATE SPEED'. In relief and joy, he clicked on the icon which gave the broom a burst of speed that passed Bones by and made Harry closer to the Snitch.   
  
"Harry has accelerated his speed on his wonderful Stella Velocita 29 which made him pass Bones. The Stella Velocita 29 is a very modern broom from Italy, where our wonderful Princess is from. In fact, she has a Stella Velocita 32, which is the latest model-"  
  
"JORDAN!!"   
  
"Sorry once again, Professor McGonagoll. They're just such magnificent brooms it's hard not to talk about them. Anyway - a Bludger is coming closer to Harry - and - Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister has hit it away from the famous Seeker! Harry is now extremely close to the Snitch - he's closer - and closer - his arm is stretched out - it's getting closer - and he captures it! The game has ended! Gryffindor Seeker Harry Potter has caught the Snitch! Gryffindor 200, Hufflepuff 50! Gryffindor wins the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup!"  
  
As Harry grasped the tiny, golden ball, he couldn't realize what had happened. They had succeeded! Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup! He was a great Seeker and Captain after all! He flew down with his team to the ground, where Madame Hooche had brought down the Cup to them. The Gryffindor team members jumped off their brooms and onto the pitch, running to where the trophy was. Ron, who got there first, grabbed it and held it up victoriously. The team huddled around him and Harry patted Ron on his shoulder. Ron turned to Harry with a smile.  
  
"I don't deserve to hold it up," said Ron. "You deserve it!"  
  
Ron handed it over to Harry, who clutched it dearly. He looked at all the labels on it, with Charlie Weasley's name on it the year his team won, Oliver Wood's name, Angelina Johnson's name, and on the last label at the bottom of the Cup suddenly appeared, GRYFFINDOR, CAPTAIN: HARRY POTTER, 1997. He smiled at the trophy which represented his victorious win. He kissed the label and held it up high in the air, cheering with the rest of the crowd.   
  
"And you thought you'd let everyone down," whispered Joy to Harry with a smile and a wink.  
  
The Gryffindor team went into the changing room to take off their Quidditch robes and hurried to the Gryffindor common room, proudly carrying the trophy as they were welcomed with warming cheers and hugs. Colin Creevey and his brother immediately asked Harry for some photos, and feeling absolutely wonderful and cheerful about the occasion, he agreed to it.   
  
After he had gotten his sight back from the flashes, he walked (more like stumbled) over to Joy, Hermione and Ron who were so happy about the Cup.  
  
"We won, Harry!" shouted Ron, as he smiled at the Gryffindors singing, 'Weasley is our King'. "We won! I won last time but... I won again! My goodness, look at this trophy!"   
  
Ron clutched the trophy that was beside him and looked at all the labels.   
  
"There's Angelina Johnson from last year. There's Oliver Wood. Hey, there's my brother Charlie! Harry, look here! There's your dad."  
  
"What?" questioned Harry, as he grabbed the trophy from Ron.   
  
He looked at where Ron was pointing to. He could see his father's name shining on the label. Knowing that his father had succeeded at doing what he had accomplished, he felt a sudden warmth inside, that he was complete. He was truly proud at his magnificent win, more than any of his successful games at Hogwarts.  
  
Author's Note: Next chapter's the chapter when they find out about everything! It's the final chamber with Quirrel/confronting Tom Riddle/meeting Sirius Black/going to the Ministry of Magic moment!!!! STAY TUNED!!!!!! Oh, and PLEASE REVIEW!!! PLEEEAAASSSEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	22. Possessed

Chapter 22  
  
Possessed  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, anything else I've mentioned and Nintendo's Princess Peach (yeah, it's a part of the chapter.).  
  
Author's Note: Hey people! Glad you could up to this chapter. So, recap? Well, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff played against each other at Quidditch to win the Cup, and Gryffindor won. Hey, that was an easy summary! It's usually longer. Anyway, I'm glad you're reading this chapter because it's probably my favourite. It's the climax, the big going -into-the-final-chamber-to-get-the-Philosopher's Stone, meeting-Tom-Riddle, finding-out-about-Sirius-Black and going-to-the-Ministry chapter!!! SO READ ON AND REVIEW!!!!  
  
It was the week before the exams, and all the 6th year students were studying like mad. Of course, their exams wouldn't be as bad as their O.W.L.'s, or the actual NEWTs, which the 7th years had. Harry glared at the 7th years when he was in the library or the common room. They were all so tense and study-crazed (they reminded Harry a lot like Hermione). Hermione was just as study-crazed as the 7th years, even though the 6th years' exams wouldn't be as bad as the final NEWTs. Ron was trying to study as much as he could, and Joy studied a lot too, but even if she was just as smart as Hermione, she didn't study as much as the others.  
  
"I know this stuff like the back of my hand!" stated Joy. "I've reviewed my notes since the beginning of school, and believe me, it really helps. I'm surprised Hermione doesn't know that trick."  
  
Harry tried to study a lot as well, but only a fair amount of reviewing. It was hard for Harry to study though. He couldn't stop thinking about the Gryffindor Quidditch team's wonderful win for the Cup. Instead of dreaming of his parents', Cedric's or Sirius' death at night, he dreamt about the Quidditch game. Unfortunately, the closer the exams got, the more dreams he had of the exams than of the Quidditch dreams.  
  
Harry and his friends were studying in the library one day with their notes out and their books piled up in stacks to be reviewed. Hermione was reading three books at a time, Ron's face was planted onto all his notes which he read closely, and Joy read her Divination notes attentively, while Harry was memorizing the last three potions he had to study for until the exams. Summer had come and the library's books seemed to be baking. Most of the students had unbuttoned their robes and pulled up their sleeves, but Joy didn't.  
  
"Why aren't you rolling up your sleeves?" asked Ron. "It's boiling in here!"  
  
"I... I just don't want to."  
  
"Joy, you're still thinking about what Glory said?"  
  
"She was right, I shouldn't show that much."  
  
A few minutes before, Harry saw Glory studying with her friends (they were out of the hospital wing now, and were very eager to study for the exams) and Glory looked so tense that she quickly ran out of the room to vomit. Her friends tried to go with her, but she wanted to be left alone. Her four friends kept on studying their large piles of notes and books, and occasionally waved at Harry and his friends.  
  
"I'm glad that the four Ravenclaw girls are back from the hospital wing," said Harry.  
  
"Me too," said Ron, before he started to hum to himself the lyrics to 'Weasley is Our King. "Weasley is our King, Weasley is our King... I didn't let the Quaffle in... Weasley is our Ki-"  
  
"Would you stop singing that?" whispered Hermione harshly. "I'm trying to study!"  
  
"I can't help it," sighed Ron. "It's in my head all the time."  
  
"Try and think of a different song," suggested Joy. "Something that might help you study- OW!!!"  
  
Joy suddenly clutched her arm in pain.   
  
"Are you all right?" asked Ron quickly.  
  
"I- I have to go," she said painfully. "I have to go to the hospital wing now."  
  
Leaving her books and notes, she walked quickly out of the library.   
  
"This is the 5th time this has happened," whispered Harry.  
  
"I know," said Ron. "I want to help her but- "  
  
"Would you stop talking?" whispered Hermione roughly. "I'm trying to study here! Seriously, if I don't get Outstanding in all my subjects, I'm going to blame you two!"  
  
*****  
  
The week of the exams had finally come, and Harry studied every free second he had. Surprisingly, the exams weren't as hard as they thought they would be. They were a lot easier than the OWLs, Harry had found out. The Potions exam was a bit harder than the others though, since Professor Snape was hovering above Harry's shoulder the entire time to see if he would make a mistake. Even so, Harry completed his potion that he was requested to do and did his written exam successfully. He was completely ready for his next exam: the Defence Against the Dark Arts practical examination.  
  
Professor Luigi had promised the students in the beginning of the year that they wouldn't have any assignments where they would have to save a damsel in distress, but their practical examination did. Professor Luigi's practical examination was a little bit like Professor Lupin's obstacle course and the Tri-Wizard Tournament. It was a course that had dragons, Dementors and things they had learned about that year which they had to battle, and at the end was a large hologram of a Hungarian Horntail (which didn't at all seem like a hologram).   
  
Up in a pole stood a blonde damsel in distress which looked a lot like Princess Peach from the Nintendo games. Harry went through the exam successfully and had obviously gotten an 'Outstanding' for the class. He heroically rescued the woman and untied her from the pole. She smiled at him gently and glared at his scar.  
  
"My, you're Harry Potter!" the woman remarked. "Professor Luigi has told me all about you!"  
  
"Really? That's great. Are you Princess Peach?"  
  
"No, my name is just Peach. 'Princess Peach' is just a nickname my friends call me."  
  
"Interesting," said Harry, as he lowered her down to the ground. Professor Luigi proudly clapped at his triumph.  
  
"Wonderful! You are absolutely fantastic in the Defence Against the Dark Arts. Are you going to become an Auror?"  
  
"Yes, in fact I will."  
  
"Magnificent! I'll be sure to get you a good spot in the business when you finish school."  
  
Harry smiled at the comment and went to join his friends.  
  
Friday came quicker than they had expected, and everyone was happy the exams were over. Harry and his friends, though, were not celebrating. They were talking about Malfoy, Lord Voldemort and all their plans.  
  
"This is what we've known from the start," said Hermione. "Glory had a vision of what would happen a few months from then about Lord Voldemort's surprise attack. She rushed to the Headmaster of Nero Gatto Academy and brought Joy down to talk about it. They discussed everything and got ready for war. When Lord Voldemort apparated in Italy, they were ready. They fought victoriously and won."  
  
"My scar burned a few times in the summer," said Harry. "The first time was when I was at the Dursleys. My scar burnt so badly that I collapsed. I saw everyone from Hogwarts parading down Privet Drive. I found out later from Joy that Lord Voldemort collapsed that day."  
  
"To continue," said Hermione. "Lord Voldemort was defeated when Joy tried to battle him and Glory went behind him and slashed his head off."  
  
"I had a burning scar too at that moment," interrupted Harry.  
  
"We found out that smoke was rising from his body," said Ron. "Possibly, his spirit came out of him, and he contacted the Malfoys somehow. A day later, Joy was attacked by Voldemort's snake which was later killed. When Glory and Joy went to school, Malfoy flirted with Glory, which to me is pretty much disgusting, and they became girlfriend and boyfriend later on."  
  
"Malfoy is trying to bring back Lord Voldemort with Glory's powers," said Harry. "A hypnotist was kidnapped the first night at Hogwarts, and we think that in the night, Lucius and some of his accomplices brought the hypnotist with Draco's help to hypnotize Glory."  
  
"At our birthday," continued Joy, "we were attacked by the Death Eaters. It was to injure all the Ministers for Magic because they were deciding to take away the Monarchy, which would ruin their plans."  
  
"When the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams played each other, Malfoy tried to get the players to attack me with the Bludgers," said Harry. "He tried to destroy me or hurt me in a way. He was so angry that he didn't succeed and that Slytherin was disqualified that he set the Quidditch pitch on fire."  
  
"Near Christmas, the business man in Chile and his Luxark Diamond were kidnapped and stolen," said Hermione. "Obviously, the business was a very powerful man, and they probably stole the Luxark Diamond to bring back his faithful serpent."  
  
"Also at Christmas, my father had sent a letter to my sister to talk about her boyfriend Malfoy," said Joy. "He didn't approve of them dating. On Christmas morning, my father was attacked..."  
  
"Don't worry," said Ron as he patted her on the back. "He's all right now."  
  
"When we crashed into the Forbidden Forest," said Harry, "we found out there was a meeting in the forest, which confirmed more about their plans. We also went into Draco's dreams and confirmed he was in all these plans."  
  
"Cho was also attacked," said Ron. "She didn't like the idea of a monarchy and was considered a threat to Lord Voldemort. We found out that Malfoy had done it. He probably hypnotized Glory into giving him some of her power, which can be done by Magic Monarchs. After he visited the Quidditch pitch, he went to attack Cho. We're really sorry about that Harry... really..."  
  
"It wasn't your fault," sighed Harry.  
  
"To continue," said Hermione. "We found out more information to confirm their schemes and we found out that Malfoy and his father created a plan to destroy Dumbledore, because as most people know, he's one of his most dreaded enemies. We told Dumbledore about it, but the attack was still on. Many Death Eaters tried to attack him and were sent to Azkaban."  
  
"Glory's friends found out all the secrets concerning Malfoy, Glory and Lord Voldemort," said Joy. "They tried to have a meeting with all of you, but they were attacked and their memories of what had happened and what they knew had been forgotten. Someone from the dark side found out that they knew about their plans."  
  
"Harry tried to tell Glory about everything, but Malfoy told her instead," said Ron. "She screamed and rushed out of the room, crying."  
  
"Afterwards, we found out about the Potion of the Undead," said Harry. "It's a potion of the Dark Arts which is a sister potion to the Potion of Bone, Flesh and Blood. It was created by Glory, and is supposed to restore someone from the dead, or even a spirit or energy. It was used with Glory's glove covered in Lord Voldemort's blood and a few of his belongings that Lucius Malfoy had. They had already used it: a quarter of the potion was gone."  
  
"A quarter?" questioned Joy. "I thought it was one third!"  
  
"Why would you think that?" asked Ron.  
  
"I checked the Potion of the Undead when I visited Glory yesterday," said Joy. "There was a third of it gone."  
  
"That means they've used more of it," said Hermione. "The spirit of Lord Voldemort is getting stronger as we speak!"  
  
"Do you think we should do something?" asked Ron.  
  
"Of course we should!" said Joy, getting up from her seat. "We should go and tell Glory. I know you tried to tell Glory before, but I think we should try and tell her. Don't you see how awful they're treating her? They're abusing her!"  
  
"How do we tell her?" asked Harry.  
  
"We'll go to her rooms. I know she's there and she doesn't have any visitors. We need to tell her! Let's go."  
  
Feeling a bit shocked that they were suddenly doing this, the three of them stood up and followed Joy to the Ravenclaw common room. After many curious corridors, they found themselves at the portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw.  
  
"You're not Ravenclaws," remarked the figure of Rowena Ravenclaw.   
  
"We aren't," admitted Joy. "We're Gryffindors, and we're here on urgent business to meet Glory."  
  
"Do you have the password?" asked Rowena Ravenclaw.  
  
"Only the wisest," she stated.  
  
"You may enter," she said, as the entrance opened to them. They didn't even bother to look at the room or the Ravenclaws staring curiously at them.   
  
They headed quickly to the giant door. Joy pulled out a large, oddly-shaped key from her robes and thrust it into the key hole. As she opened the door, another door with a little speaker was revealed behind it.  
  
"State the password, please!" said a voice from the speaker.  
  
"Are any of you going to tell the password?" asked Joy.  
  
"Of course not!" chimed the three of them.  
  
"Good. Besides, it's really long. It's a poem she composed about the war."  
  
"Password please?" repeated the little voice.  
  
"Her Royal Highness Princess Glorificous Elizabeth Tatiana Victoria Nefertiti," said Joy. "Chronicles of the War of the Dark Lord and Royals:  
  
'As Her Royal Highness sat in class at the Academy  
  
learning of pesky gnome-hexing,  
  
she predicted of an attack to be,  
  
a prediction to make one trembling.  
  
The Dark Lord would apparate in the royal land  
  
to make an attack on the Royals.  
  
He would attack with his Death Eater-band  
  
and destroy above all morals.  
  
Knowing of these curious sights,   
  
she went to the Headmaster.  
  
Glory told him the visions with of horrifying frights  
  
and he called her sister and Ministry later.  
  
A great vision seen by the Royal.  
  
They hurried to create an army,  
  
that would outshine the Dark One.  
  
But only at the battle would they see  
  
which powerful army will have won.  
  
They battled and strategized on and on,  
  
with worry in their leaders.  
  
'At the end, would they be gone?'  
  
was what were their fears.  
  
On the day of July was the day,  
  
they would confront the army of the Evil One.  
  
They soon kissed their anxiety away   
  
for this battle had now begun.  
  
The only ones who would win were those who were loyal.  
  
A bloody battle was furiously fought,  
  
as many were injured and few died.  
  
The fury of both armies was burning hot,  
  
and the world worried and sighed.  
  
By the end of the horrible war  
  
our side was wonderfully winning,  
  
and even if our soldiers were cold and soar  
  
we knew there would be a victorious ending.  
  
As the last minutes dawned, both leaders were face-to face with the Dark Lord,  
  
the more they battled, the more of each other they hated.  
  
while Princess Joy duelled, Princess Glory swung her mighty sword  
  
and Lord Voldemort, the evil wizard, was decapitated.  
  
Blood splattered onto the soil.  
  
As the new day came without fear,  
  
the wizarding world celebrated all around.  
  
But we all wept for those we were dear  
  
for we lost courageous soldiers who went down.  
  
No longer will anyone fear of those things Dark,  
  
no longer will we see the horrible Dark Mark,  
  
no longer will either of us lose a loved one,  
  
for Lord Voldemort and his evil work is done.'  
  
"You may enter," said the little voice in the speaker.  
  
"That was a wonderful poem," said Harry. "It was very touching."  
  
"I could never make something up like that!" said Ron. "The closest I could get to something like that is, 'I'm a poet and I didn't even know it'."  
  
"Glory's multi-talented," stated Hermione. "I can't believe you're still surprised at things like that."  
  
"I can make really great poems too, you know!" said Joy in an envious tone. "I have some award-winning poems. It's just that mine aren't so deep and serious. I create love poems and poems of nature."  
  
Suddenly, the next door unlocked and opened itself to another door, which was a large, steel door with a small voice-screen with buttons at its right side. Joy pulled out a card from her robes and slid it into the slot.  
  
"Please give us your hand-print and eye examination to enter," stated the female voice from the screen. From the wall appeared a neon-green hand scan and a small black ball.   
  
"This is so uncomfortable!" said Joy, as she put her hand onto the screen and one of her eyes into the little ball. There was a small beep! from the screen.  
  
"The scan has been accepted. You may enter the room of Princess Glory."  
  
The large, metal door opened and all four of them entered the nicely decorated room.  
  
"How many doors do you need to get into a place like this?!" questioned Ron. "Seriously, you don't see any of us, nor Professor Dumbledore with security like that."  
  
"Ron, the Magic Monarchs are very important and powerful people," stated Hermione. "Anyone would like to get into their rooms. They need special entrances to make sure that they are safe."  
  
"But why couldn't we just use the telecom?"  
  
"You can only use that if you have appointments," said Joy. "Besides, it's cleaning hour so the house-elves are busy cleaning and can't answer the telecom."  
  
At the corner of his eye, Harry saw a chubby house-elf dusting a vase and then scurrying up the spiral staircase.  
  
"Let's hurry up," said Joy, as she lead them into the door in the middle.   
  
Behind the door was a very ancient staircase that spiralled very deep into the ground. There were very few torches in the staircase, so the way down there was very dark.   
  
They finally found themselves in a very small stone room, with a massive, rusty-old door with giant hinges that secured the door very well.   
  
"Is this where Glory is?" asked Harry, looking around the door.  
  
"Of course!" said Joy. "Do you think I would come all the way down here for nothing?"  
  
Ron tried opening the door, but it was perfectly closed.  
  
"Do we need another password for this?" asked Ron.  
  
"Unfortunately yes," answered Joy. She laid her hand onto the door knob. "It is thy Master's wish to come here, for it was his instructing command to meet him and serve him."  
  
The door slowly opened ajar, as Joy grabbed the knob and opened it. Harry was a bit confused at the password. What kind of password was that? thought Harry. Was that an old password, or did Glory really make it up?  
  
"That was an old password, right?" asked Harry to Joy.  
  
"Yeah, that's it," answered Joy. "It's an old password."  
  
She led them into a giant chamber that looked more like a pit of darkness than a room. Harry, trying to find some of the faint outlines of the room, could see that it was at least half as big as the Chamber of Secrets (not including all the tunnels). A few large torches quickly ignited, showing Draco Malfoy and Professor Luigi, staring and grinning at them, who were at both sides of a large chair in which a dark hooded figure lay sitting on it.   
  
The scene looked so much like the room they were led to in Malfoy's dream and the one they saw when they found out about Professor Dumbledore's attack. The dark shadow was there, and so was Malfoy, but why was Professor Luigi there, and why was this in Glory's rooms? Thinking about the comparison of the three situations, Harry realized that the large shadow before them could be Lord Voldemort. Harry, Ron and Hermione took a few steps back in freezing fear, while Joy remained very calm.  
  
"I have been expecting you four for quite a while," said the voice that seemed so familiar, although Harry couldn't pinpoint that the voice belonged to Lord Voldemort, nor if it was male or female. Scared and anxious, Harry questioned the shadow.  
  
"Who are you?" asked Harry. "Show yourself!"  
  
"As you wish," said the sly voice, as a sudden spotlight shown in front of the elevated chair. The dark shadow came closer to the light and revealed that it was... Glory. A sigh of relief came out of Harry, Ron and Hermione.  
  
"Hello, Glory!" said Harry cheerfully, taking a deep breath. "Sorry we looked so scared."  
  
"We thought you were someone else," explained Hermione, who was also trying to catch her breath.  
  
"Really?" said Glory lightly with a gentle, yet suspicious grin. "Who did you think I was?"  
  
"It has something to do about what we want to tell you," said Ron "Could you maybe tell Malfoy and Professor Luigi to leave so we can talk to you?"  
  
"Don't worry, they know all about what you want to say to me."  
  
"They do?" questioned Harry. "How could they? You don't even know what we're going to tell you."  
  
"You think so?" questioned Glory. "You don't think that I know you're going to tell me about that Malfoy-Glory-Voldemort plan?"  
  
"So you know?" asked Hermione. "You're going to do something about it?"  
  
"What do you mean by 'do something about it'?"  
  
"You're going to try and stop it, of course!" said Ron.  
  
"Why would I do that?" questioned Glory.  
  
"Glory, don't you understand?" asked Harry. "They're abusing you! Malfoy-" he said, pointing to him, "- and Lord Voldemort are trying to use you to get Voldemort back to power!"  
  
"I don't even think you know who I am still," chuckled Glory.  
  
"Of course we do," said Ron in a suspicious tone of voice. "You're... Glory."  
  
"Am I?"  
  
"Glory, please don't play tricks with us!" pleaded Hermione, looking so scared. "It's not funny!"  
  
"I'm not playing tricks," said Glory. "You still think I'm Glory?"  
  
"Who else would you be?" questioned Ron. "Aren't you Glory?"  
  
"Yes and no," she responded. "You were a bit closer at your first guess."  
  
"Our first guess was that you were Lord Voldemort," responded Harry. "Of course, that's not true."  
  
"You don't think it's true?" questioned Glory.   
  
"Of course not!" said Harry, trembling in nervousness. "You're Glory!"  
  
"I told you before, you were only half right."  
  
"Then who are you?!" shouted Harry, with a shiver going down his spine.  
  
"Don't you see?" questioned Glory, leaning closer to them. "I am Lord Voldemort!"  
  
"No, you can't! You just can't!"  
  
"After your experiences with Professor Quirrell, I'd think you'd understand this, Harry Potter!" it said. "Let me make it easier for you..."  
  
Suddenly, something absolutely frightening happened to Glory. Her once delicate and elegant hands turned into pale and clammy skinny palms, and her face became white as bone, and a few of her features disappeared. Her eyes became blood-red and cat-shaped, with the faint outline of stars still in her eyes, and her nose formed until it looked snake-like. She resembled... Lord Voldemort.  
  
"Please tell me you're just changing your appearance," trembled Ron, who was slowly backing away into the wall. "Please tell me you're not really..."  
  
"Yes, I am really," said Lord Voldemort in a high-pitched voice. All three of them backed into the wall behind them. Both of Harry's friends were trembling with fear and were starting to cry. Harry suddenly felt cold, as if a Dementor was approaching him. "Let me show you a bit of the room."  
  
He snapped his bony fingers and all the torches lit up. Harry, trying to clutch Ron or Hermione's hand (he was in the middle), looked at the lit-up room. It was all limestone, and it was fantastically carved with shapes of Glory's and Lord Voldemort's heads and figures. At every corner, there was a carving of both of them back-to-back with very evil looks. The carvings on the other sides of the room had carvings of scenes, such as Lord Voldemort surrounded by his Death Eaters who were kneeling down to him. Harry looked up on the ceiling, to see the engraving of the Dark Mark, although it wasn't what it used to look like. The skull with the serpent-tongue was slightly different, for the skull had glowing-red eyes with the shape of stars in them, and a large crown above the skull.   
  
"Do you like the new Dark Mark?" questioned Lord Voldemort with an evil chuckle. "I modified it to use in 2 years..."  
  
"I-I- I d-don't get it," stuttered Harry.   
  
"You really think that my spirit just seeped out of my decapitated body and flew away to the Malfoys' estate to conjure up an evil plan? I don't think so. I waited until Glory was the only one near my slaughtered body. I seeped into her mind, and possessed it. It was my body now."  
  
Harry suddenly thought of how Lord Voldemort was a parasite in Professor Quirrell's body. Could he be doing the same thing to Glory?  
  
"She's possessed..." trembled Hermione. "She's possessed by your spirit!"  
  
"Yes, you're catching on," said Lord Voldemort. "You're finally catching on. So now you understand that all the times you've seen my shadows, it was really Glory... That's probably why you might have thought that the dark figure during the meeting in the Forbidden Forest during the Christmas holidays was female. All these times, I've been working through Glory. All these times...   
  
"Of course, I couldn't take over her body with just the spirit. I wanted some of my powers and energy. I made her suck up just a bit of my energy from my dead body, which is what I made her do for Cho Chang's and the four Ravenclaw girls' attacks."  
  
"You made her use the Sucking Incantation!" gasped Hermione. "Why didn't I know? I read it somewhere, that it was an ancient Incantation that only those as powerful as Wizard or Witch Monarchs could use. It acted like the Venimi Monstro, and could suck up another person's blood, power and fat. Why didn't I see it before? Malfoy wasn't using Glory's powers, Glory was using her own! No wonder she was so powerful afterwards! Then, w-why was s-she so w-weak the d-day before?"  
  
"She, well at that moment, I, was trying to figure out my plan to destroy Cho. I didn't want her ruining my plans to successfully take over her body and become a Magic Monarch! And of course... for personal reasons..."  
  
"That's why you attacked my girlfriend?" shouted Harry in anger. "THAT'S WHY YOU DID THAT TO HER?"  
  
"There are more reasons, Harry Potter," spoke Lord Voldemort. "There are other reasons that you never knew and would maybe want to make you 'break up with your innocent girlfriend'."  
  
"What?"  
  
"She didn't want to be your girlfriend because she loved you! She wanted to get all the publicity. Glory heard Cho talking to her friends of how easy it was to fool you, and to use you! Oh, it wasn't only me who wanted revenge on her! And as I said before, there are more personal reasons... which I won't tell you!"  
  
Harry felt a burning pain in his heart for what Lord Voldemort said. Lies, they're all lies! thought Harry. Lord Voldemort, nor Glory know how Cho is really like. She loves me, and I love her! But then, could it really be that she said those things? He didn't think about it, and questioned Lord Voldemort.  
  
"What are the personal reasons?"  
  
"I told you already, I won't tell you!" shouted Lord Voldemort.  
  
"You're lying. What you said are all lies."  
  
"Well, suit yourself."  
  
"B-but th-there were a-ashes at the scene," stuttered Ron.  
  
"Oh, I left that, did I? Sometimes the way Glory apparates can leave a bit of ashes on the ground. It can get quite irritating."  
  
"Of course, she told us when we came out of the Forbidden Forest!" said Hermione.  
  
"D-do you h-h-have a-all c-control over G-Glory?" stuttered Ron again, who was completely frightened.  
  
"No, I don't. There were a few times when I controlled her, and when she controlled herself. Usually, when I was on my own business and when Glory seemed a bit 'mean'... I was in control. Otherwise, she controlled herself."  
  
"If you could control what Glory did, why did you kidnap the hypnotist?" asked Harry.  
  
"I used it to hypnotize these Death Eaters," said Lord Voldemort, pointing to Malfoy and Professor Luigi. "These are a few of my new Death Eaters. I was fed up with my other ones. They were old and not so strong anymore. I wanted Death Eaters who were younger and stronger, and wouldn't be obvious to the public. I used my thought-to-be Death Eaters and the sons and daughters of former Death Eaters, like Draco Malfoy. I, of course, didn't want the Aurors to catch on with my plans, so I used Professor Luigi to get them off track and to slow down their research. I went on Glory's hippigryph to snatch the hypnotist and to use it on Professor Luigi and Draco Malfoy."  
  
Harry looked at Professor Luigi and Draco Malfoy, who looked as if they were in a trance. Harry then noticed that they were in chains. Harry had no idea that it wasn't Draco Malfoy and Lord Voldemort who were the masterminds behind this. It was Glory and Lord Voldemort.  
  
"Why not Lucius Malfoy? Didn't he have anything to do with this?"  
  
"Not as much as you thought. He later found out what his son was doing and was completely shocked. He wasn't sure if his son should do it, but after a few talks, he went along with the plan."  
  
"So, what's the big plan?" questioned Harry. "What is it?"  
  
"I was planning to take over Glory's body, so I would be more powerful than I ever was. I would be crowned, with my faithful Death Eater, Draco Malfoy, beside me. After a year or so after the coronation ceremony, I will have finally taken over Glory's body, and would rule with more power than I ever had. I have not only my supreme powers, but the majestic and overruling powers of the Princess. Then, I would be most powerful and rule above all other, and I would no doubt end the Prophecy, and defeat you, Harry Potter!"  
  
"So the Princesses' Birthday Ball attack was to injure those who stood in your way against ruling, you tried to destroy Dumbledore because he was one of your enemies and would maybe noticed that you weren't really his great-great-great-granddaughter, and you got Glory's father attacked because he stood in your way to be with your faithful Death Eater."  
  
"You catch on very quickly, Potter. I used Ginny Weasley to help with letting my Death Eaters inside Hogwarts with the help of Glory's four friends. They pretended that they were sick for the night, and Ginny pretended she ran off crying because of Malfoy. Malfoy and Professor Luigi left to help my Death Eaters. I guess Ginny Weasley was right when she said that she felt as if she knew Glory before."  
  
"Ginny!" gasped Ron, remembering how Tom Riddle used Ginny to open the Chamber of Secrets.  
  
"And I suppose you know why I kidnapped the businessman in Chile and stole the Luxark Diamond?"  
  
"He was a very powerful man," spoke Harry, "and he had control over a lot of magical products. You stole the Luxark Diamond to bring back your pet, Nagini."  
  
"Almost close," chuckled Lord Voldemort. "The business of Chile was in fact, a very good friend of Princess Glory as he was powerful, and if he found out that I was turning evil, he could turn against me. Besides, with him finding out that the Luxark Diamond was missing, they could report it sooner. It would be better off to take him and the Diamond. You were right about why I stole the Diamond though."  
  
"And the Potion of the Undead, you're trying to restore yourself to full strength inside Glory. You're trying to keep yourself alive with that potion."  
  
"Yes, that's correct. You will not believe how painful it is to try and control such a powerful witch. I needed that potion to keep myself from disappearing, and to grow stronger so that I would soon take over her."  
  
"Why exactly her?" questioned Harry. "Why Glory?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious? She's so strong and smart, and in my opinion a lot more powerful than her sister. Besides, her sister was too weak and too good. Glory was into the Dark Arts, and I knew it. She was also trying to create the Potion of the Undead, and it would be perfect for my plan."  
  
"She knew the Dark Arts? She was into that?"  
  
"She was starting to have a liking for the Dark Arts. She studied rigorously about the Defence Against the Dark Arts and wondered more about the interesting subject of the Dark Arts themselves. It was a whole new world to her, so exciting, and so powerful. She couldn't take her eyes of those Dark Art books she read.   
  
"Besides, I like Glory a lot better than Joy. I mean, stiletto heels? Of course, if one of the twins was a boy, I would choose the boy. Believe me, there are some icky things about being inside a female body you will not believe! All those female teenage hormones and the crushes on Draco Malfoy... They made me seem a bit ga-   
  
"Anyway, I guess you have to suffer a bit to get power. I suffered before you made me lose my powers! Of course, there are a bit of perks to looking this beautiful... and she is quite charming I suppose..."  
  
"You have a crush on her," chuckled Harry. "You have a crush on Glory."  
  
Lord Voldemort, who had an evil smile on his skull-face, had suddenly looked insulted and raging angry.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"I said, you think Glory's beautiful, smart and wonderful... Admit it! You have a crush- "  
  
"SILENCE!!!!!" he shouted. "I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS RUBBISH!!! I, LORD VOLDEMORT, DO NOT HAVE CRUSHES ON PATHETIC TEENAGE GIRLS!!!!"  
  
"And why do you think we're not going to get out of here safely?" questioned Harry, feeling less frightened the more he talked to Lord Voldemort. "Princess Joy is right here, and I'm not sure if you've noticed, but she's a Witch Monarch too! She could beat you instantly!"  
  
Lord Voldemort let out a cackle from his chair.  
  
"You think, you really think so?"  
  
"Think what?"  
  
"You really think that I haven't planned this out so thoroughly? Potter, I don't think I was clear about who my Death Eaters were. Let me show you again. These two are my Death Eaters," he said, as he pointed Malfoy and Professor Luigi, who hadn't said anything or given any reaction (they were still in their trance), "and so is she," he said, as he pointed his skeleton-finger at Joy.   
  
Harry shot a glance at Joy, who hadn't said anything nor given a reaction to anything to what was happening. She looked exactly like Malfoy and Professor Luigi. Harry, who had felt so proud of himself, had felt cold and frightened again. One of his best friends, was a Death Eater? She had used them to get all their secrets... She betrayed them... Or did she? She was hypnotized, but how could he have poured his soul to her?   
  
"How did you?" questioned Harry angrily. "HOW?"  
  
"Don't you remember that time she was sick? She wasn't sick, she was attacked! I hypnotized her and incrusted my Dark Mark on her arm. She didn't remember a thing. She didn't exactly know that she was a Death Eater though, and in a way she did. She sensed that something was going wrong, and she tried to tell you a few times. She couldn't though, because I made her head burn furiously."  
  
"That's why she had those headaches?" questioned Ron.  
  
"Yes, and she also had burning feelings in her arm because of the Dark Mark. She tried continuously to tell you, and I had to punish her all those times."  
  
"P-punish her?" asked Hermione.  
  
"I had to punish her for what she did. Joy, show them the scars."  
  
Joy automatically lifted up the sleeve on her robe, and revealed many wounds and cuts on her arm and the new Dark Mark near her shoulder.  
  
"Is that why she didn't want to show her skin?"  
  
"I guess so. She was the only one in my inner circle at Hogwarts that was hard to control. All my other Death Eaters are so faithful to me, and Professor Luigi has no idea what he's doing. Malfoy knows what he was doing though, even though I had to convince him a bit more with the help of the hypnotist. He suffered the consequences when he revealed what our plans were that day..."  
  
"So he did tell her the secrets?"  
  
"Yes, he revealed it to Glory. I was furious he had done it, and was a bit frightened what would have happened. She turned to look at a mirror in the classroom, and saw my face. How dreadful..."  
  
"I still think Glory will find out what you're doing and will destroy you some way," said Harry. "She predicted your attack, so she can predict this!"  
  
A large howl and cackle ringed in the stone chamber and shook Harry's soul. It seemed so similar to the laugh that he remembered when Lord Voldemort killed his parents... the horror...  
  
"Ha! You really think that she predicted the attack, that with her mighty psychic powers she stopped me in my tracks to destroy her and her sister?" chuckled Lord Voldemort. "Oh Harry, you were so wrong. Just to think, I did the same thing to you last year...."  
  
"What?" questioned Harry.  
  
"Potter, your memory is so short. Don't you remember when I sent you a vision in your dream that Sirius was being tortured? Do you remember that?"  
  
Harry did remember that. Lord Voldemort had abused Harry and his ability to see what he saw, did and felt by sending Harry a vision in his sleep that Voldemort was torturing Sirius to get him a weapon that was hidden in the Ministry of Magic. Lord Voldemort knew that Harry always wanted to be the hero. He was used and mistreated because of it, and had suffered a great consequence because of it. Because he was at the Ministry, the Order of the Phoenix, including his dear godfather, tried to save him, and his godfather... went through the veil...   
  
His soul and body trembled in sorrow for the death of his godfather and how awful a thing Lord Voldemort had abused his gift, and thought, Did he really do the same thing to Glory? Did Lord Voldemort abuse Glory's psychic abilities, power and leadership to fight for her subjects, like he had done to me?   
  
"I- I remember..." he said trembling. "You did the same to Glory?"  
  
"In a way, yes. You see, Glory doesn't know Occlumency. It's one of her greatest weaknesses, yet to my advantage, it was my greatest strength against her. Joy told you so, and she suffered deeply for it. I sent her a little 'vision' as you may call it, that I would make a surprise attack in Sicily. She, being 'the Princess and future leader of the wizarding world', had to do something," he said, in a laughing, sarcastic voice. "They got ready for war and such, following my plan exactly..."  
  
So she was abused like he had been. Harry felt so sorry for Glory, that so many things that he had suffered last year, was being repeated with Glory.   
  
"But it was true," said Harry. "You did make an attack."  
  
"Of course I did. It was a part of my plan, and it was in my plan to lose too."  
  
"I don't get it, what's the plan?"  
  
"You're not as smart as you think, Potter! My plan was to have a war with Glory so that the whole world would think I would be defeated, yet I would really be controlling their leader. I was planning to die, though I knew I wouldn't really die. The Prophecy was right; only you could kill me, not Glory nor Joy. They might have killed my body, but my spirit will never die."  
  
"Why was it so important for you to leave your body?" questioned Harry.  
  
"Potter, you've seen me many times. I was weak in physical shape. I was nothing but a skeleton. Sure, my powers and mind were as strong as ever, but my body was aging so. I needed a stronger body. If you do have a gift, Potter, it might as well be youth. My physical shape was shrivelled and worthless, I needed a more athletic and stronger body. That's one of the major reasons why I needed to live in Glory. She was so strong in power, body and mind, and she could leave for over a thousands years! She doesn't even need the Elixir of Life to live so long... I needed it, I needed it so much... Well, since that's all cleared out, Joy can lock you up."  
  
"What?" they all questioned, as Joy, with a wave of her wand, made them slam to the wall as heavy handcuffs clamped them in place. They struggled to get out, but there was no use.   
  
"W-why a-are y-you d-d-doing t-this?" stuttered Ron in terror as he struggled to get out. Both Hermione and Ron were weeping and moaning. Harry, who had been in the situation more than once, wasn't as scared as they were.  
  
"What else do you think I'm going to do?" shouted Lord Voldemort in annoyance. "I'm going to kill you all! Do you think Joy brought you down here to have a nice cup of tea? NO! She brought you down here so I could kill you all! The three people who threaten me the most are you, Harry Potter, and your two friends. Always trying to figure out my schemes, always on my trail! With my new powers and body, I can kill a whole army with the wave of my wand!   
  
"But first, I'll bring back my pet. Joy, bring here the ingredients and the Luxark Diamond! And Luigi, bring here the cauldron. Malfoy, bring your snake!"  
  
Joy and Professor Luigi quickly opened a few chests in the corner of the room and brought back a giant cauldron, a small potions chest and large, magnificent, sparkling diamond that laid on a purple pillow in a glass case. It was as big as a small melon, though it was in the shape of a droplet. It glowed and shimmered in the flickering light of the torches. In another corner from a large basket, Malfoy brought out the long snake that Joy and him had seen him with before.   
  
"What are you going to do with it?" questioned Harry angrily, his arms aching from hanging on the wall.  
  
"I'm going to make this small snake bigger and better than my pet," he chuckled.   
  
Professor Luigi bowed down to Lord Voldemort and laid down the cauldron in front of the chair and put the chest aside, opening it to reveal quantities of very many rare potion ingredients. With a few waves of his hand, he conjured up a fire underneath the cauldron and some boiling water in the cauldron as well. Joy, who also bowed down, opened the glass case and took out the Luxark Diamond, which shimmered in the boiling water. Malfoy also bowed down and showed Lord Voldemort the snake he got from the basket.  
  
"Excellent, Malfoy!" said Lord Voldemort. "Put it in the cauldron." Malfoy lowered the snake gently into the cauldron as it slithered violently. "Now, put in the Electrocuted Ashwinder brain into the pot."   
  
Harry remembered he and Ron had seen a bottle of it in the stone room where he had found the Potion of the Undead. Professor Luigi took out the exact same bottle and poured a mushy, burnt and green liquid into the pot. Lord Voldemort demanded Professor Luigi to put in various different ingredients, while Malfoy stirred the pot with a large spoon and Joy held the Luxark Diamond patiently at the side. Once the potion was sizzling with a green, scaly texture at the surface with the snake moving inside it, Lord Voldemort called Joy for the gem.   
  
"Joy, it is time for the Luxark Diamond," demanded Voldemort, as Joy bowed down once again and handed the stone into his bony hands. He dipped it gently into the mixture with an evil smile on his face. In Parsletongue, he said an incantation. "My dearest pet, a giant snake, may you be summoned into this serpent and be made anew. You will come back with more powers than you did before, and you will be by my side as I return to power."  
  
The stone suddenly turned bright yellow as the cauldron shook violently. Suddenly, a giant serpent's head shot out of the potion with the rest of its slimy body following it out of the cauldron. It was bigger than it had been before (bigger than Malfoy's snake and Lord Voldemort's former snake). It had the same Slytherin-green colour as it did before, with the two purple and yellow stripes down its back. Although this time, there were spikes down its back and its eyes were blood-red, just like Lord Voldemort. Its fangs were as long as butcher knives, and by just looking at it, Harry and his two trapped friends shivered in horror.   
  
The giant serpent slithered around the room, finally free from the cauldron, and curled itself up near the elevated chair that Lord Voldemort was sitting on.   
  
"My serpent, my pet," said Lord Voldemort, as he stroked the slimy head of the serpent. "You've finally come. We should kill the three students now, shouldn't we?"  
  
Voldemort easily stepped off the chair, stretched a bit while cracking his neck, outstretched his arm and put his hand on Joy's head.   
  
"Suckurus incantious," he said.   
  
Suddenly, a burst of light went through his arm and into Joy's head as he trembled. A large sucking noise was heard throughout the room. Joy's eyes turned white and her whole entire body shook, as a glowing light went from Joy's body into Voldemort. The Dark Lord lifted his hand from her head as she dropped onto the floor, unconscious.  
  
"YOU KILLED HER?!" shouted Ron.  
  
"No, I didn't. I just wanted a bit of her energy to reassure that I was strong enough to use the Sucking Incantation on all of you, as I just did to Joy. She'll be all right. Besides, I wouldn't want her snapping out of her trance and trying to save you, would I? First, I'll suck Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger dry."  
  
He pulled out Glory's golden wand as he approached closer to the wall they were clamped to. Hermione and Ron burst out crying and tried to escape. Moans and cries saying, 'No, please don't kill us!' came out of them, so Harry tried to do something to help them. He tried to escape, but he couldn't.   
  
"Don't kill them, kill me!" shouted Harry. "They don't deserve to die!"  
  
"Harry, no!" said Hermione, her face red with tears. "If there's anyone who shouldn't die, it's you!"  
  
"Don't even think about saving your friends," said Lord Voldemort in his awful cackle. "I'll kill you once I've finished with them."  
  
"I guess this is goodbye," said Ron, turning to Harry. "It's been great knowing you, and I hope somehow you escape."  
  
"These 6 years have been the best years of my life, Harry!" said Hermione. "Goodbye..."  
  
"No, you can't! You're not going to die!"  
  
"Of course they are!" shouted Lord Voldemort. "Locko releasis!"  
  
Ron and Hermione's handcuffs released them which made them drop onto the floor with a hard and painful slam. They tried to run away from him and take out their wands, yet with his new and stronger body, he was able to catch them before they could escape and take away their wands. He clutched his hands onto their heads as they wept and howled violently.   
  
Harry couldn't stand the sight playing before him that moment. He tried to get his wand or do something, but there was no use. He started to cry too. He couldn't let his friends suffer right before his eyes. He had already lost so many people in his life who were killed right before him, and he didn't want his two best friends to suffer the same way.  
  
"NO!! DON'T KILL THEM!!!!" he cried.   
  
Lord Voldemort, cackling even more, completely ignored Harry's cry. With his hands tightly on their heads, he said the incantation.   
  
"Suckurus incantious!" he said.   
  
Just like Joy, light shot out from his arms with a sucking sound. Ron and Hermione's eyes rolled until their eyes were only white, and their bodies trembled a great deal more than Joy's. Harry could see them shrivelling up before his eyes and light passing from their bodies to the Dark Lord. Lord Voldemort cackled unstoppably and threw them onto the floor. Harry saw his friends, lying dead-still on the floor. They were as pale as death, and they were almost shrivelled to the bone. He burst into tears, looking at his dead friends.  
  
"YOU KILLED THEM!" shouted Harry in absolute rage. "YOU MONSTER!!!! YOU FILTH! YOU-"  
  
"Enough with the shouting and let's get on with your death," said Lord Voldemort. "There are still a few bodily juices in them, so they have a couple of more minutes holding onto the tiny morsel of life they have."   
  
He released Harry from the handcuffs as he fell down on the hard floor with a large thud. Harry, finally free, tried to run away from Lord Voldemort, and successfully escaped from his clutches to the other side of the chamber. He looked around and tried to find a way out, but there wasn't any. He finally found a large door on one side of the room. He rushed to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. He was trapped. Realizing he had his wand, he took it out from his robes.  
  
"Get him!" said Lord Voldemort in Parseltongue to the snake, and understanding his coming, the serpent unravelled itself from its curled-up position and slithered rapidly over to Harry.   
  
Harry tried to run away, but the snake's tail curled around his waist. He tried to punch it and cast a spell to kill the snake, but he couldn't. By the end of his muscular tail, he hurled Harry fiercely onto the wall, losing his grip on his wand and letting it go. He smashed onto the wall so brutally that he felt some bones in his body smash. In pain, he tried to get up, but he couldn't; he was too weak.  
  
Lord Voldemort picked up Harry's wand and put it in his black hooded robe.   
  
"You won't be needing this anymore," he chuckled. He slowly approached Harry, his arms stretched out. "You'll be with your parents, your friends and your godfather again very soon!"   
  
Harry tried to move, but he was in so much pain that he could barely do anything. Lord Voldemort's hand clutched onto Harry's head. I'm going to die now, thought Harry. This is how the Prophecy ends. I still don't even know my secret power yet. Lord Voldemort mumbled the incantation, and suddenly a bitter, icy-cold feeling spread from the top of Harry's head to his body. He trembled like madness and he shivered with every inch of his body. It felt as if everything from his body was being sucked out and crushed. Was this how death felt like? Quickly, it stopped. Harry looked around to see that nothing was wrong. The icy-feeling had stopped. Was he already dead?  
  
Harry looked in front of him, and saw Lord Voldemort bundled up in a corner, screeching in pain. Lord Voldemort's/Glory's body started to quiver, and the Dark Lord had a confused look on his monstrous face.  
  
"What's happening to me?" he questioned harshly, as he tried to get up. "This has never happened before! I'll try again!"  
  
He gripped his hand quickly onto Harry's head, with the same horrible feeling inside coming inside him, but it stopped rapidly. Lord Voldemort's face and hands, which were once bone-white, were becoming red and swollen, and veins began to pop out. He studied his hands in shock, and slowly felt his face.  
  
"THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN TO ME!" he shouted angrily. He stumbled up, clutched his wand and pointed it at Harry. Harry knew what he was going to do next. This was the end... "The Sucking Incantation might not work on you, but Avada Kedavra will certainly kill you! Avada Ked- AAHh!!!!"  
  
A blinding white light shot out from the wand and burnt Lord Voldemort's hand. He hurriedly clutched his hand to himself, as it throbbed with fury. With a small quiver, Voldemort fell down onto the ground. He clutched his head as he tried to stand up. He couldn't, so he laid on the floor, trying to rise up once in a while. Harry could tell he was in more pain than he ever felt before.   
  
"This... isn't... what... I planned!" he shouted. Harry looked at his enemy's face, and his once red eyes turned completely black as he shivered and trembled even more. "Grr.. I- AAAH!"  
  
He collapsed unconscious on the floor and suddenly shots of light came out of him which filled the room immediately. The beams of light shot at Harry, and quickly his body felt much better. A large burst of light shot at the gigantic chair which slammed right into the snake that made it bash into the wall; it fell unconscious. A shot of light sped at Joy, who slowly woke up from lying on the floor. Professor Luigi and Malfoy were shot with light, and they were instantly awoken from their trances. Realizing what was happening, they ducked down.   
  
Harry watched as very many shots of life slammed into Ron and Hermione's lifeless bodies, and it was like looking at an airless balloon being filled up with air. The skinny, pruned corpses healed into how Ron and Hermione normally looked. Harry saw their bodies twitch. He ran swiftly to Ron and Hermione, his happiness overcoming his pain, and knelt down next to them. He pinched their wrists, and he gladly felt beating pulses.   
  
"They're not dead!" he shouted gladly, as he hugged them. Slowly, Hermione opened her eyes and stared blankly at Harry.  
  
"H-Harry? What happened?" she asked.  
  
"You're alive! Something amazing happened! I don't know what, but now everyone's back to normal!"  
  
Hermione tried to lift herself up from the floor and quickly hugged Harry.   
  
"It's so glad to be alive!" she said, with many tears streaming down her face.  
  
"I know, Hermione!" said Harry happily. "I know!"  
  
Ron opened his eyes eventually and looked wide-eyed at everything. Stumbling, he got up.  
  
"Is this heaven? Where am I?"  
  
"You're still in the chamber, Ron!" said Hermione. "We're still alive!"  
  
"W-what?" asked Ron, looking at them in surprise. "I-I can't believe it! We're alive!"  
  
They all hugged each other happily. Harry had never felt so happy to be alive. He looked at Professor Luigi and Malfoy, who stood up from ducking from the lights.  
  
"Where am I?" questioned Professor Luigi, scratching his head and looking confusingly around the chamber. "Did I drink too much of that imported wine, or is this a strange dream after eating those sausages? Draco Malfoy, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I think I know what this is," said Malfoy. "I'll tell you late- GLORY!"  
  
Malfoy rushed over to Glory's body, which had returned to how it looked before. She was lying perfectly still on the ground, lifeless, with Voldemort's black hooded cloak covering her. Malfoy quickly lowered down the hood and revealed that Glory was bone-white like Voldemort.   
  
"Glory, please wake up!" he shouted, trying to wake her up. "Please!"  
  
An amazing look appeared on Malfoy's face that Harry had never seen before. His eyes became watery, and he clutched Glory's hands to his heart. He looked at her in a loving and caring way. Malfoy looked exactly like how Harry looked like when Cho was attacked. Harry started to feel a bit of sympathy for him. He knew how it was like to almost lose his girlfriend in such an awful way.   
  
Professor Luigi, absolutely stunned at Glory's state, put a finger to her throat and tried to feel her pulse.  
  
"I feel her pulse," said Professor Luigi. "She has a heartbeat. I think she's going to be okay. How did she become like this?"  
  
"I'm not too sure, Professor," said Malfoy. "We should just get her to the hospital wing as soon as possible. Hold her by the legs while I pick her up from the arms."  
  
"All right," said Professor Luigi, picking up Glory from her legs and starting to carry her. "This is just such a strange place, and all the carvings of - Is that who I think it is? It's so- Oh my goodness! What is that huge snake doing there?"  
  
Professor Luigi stumbled across the huge snake lying unconscious in the chamber.   
  
"I think I know what that is," said Malfoy. "I'll tell you all this later. You're the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, you should know about things like this!"  
  
"Draco, I do know about large snakes like that," said Luigi. "It's just the fact that it's in this... place... and that it looks so much like one of my cousins! Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger," said Professor Luigi, realizing they were in the room too, "what are you three doing here?"  
  
"It's a long story," said Harry, as they all got up from the floor.  
  
"Oh dear, I see Princess Joy is here too," said Professor Luigi, as Joy got up from the ground.  
  
"Hello everyone," she said, rubbing her head of blonde locks and looking around the room. "Where am I?"  
  
"That's what I've been asking Mr. Malfoy all this time!" said Luigi.  
  
"I'll tell you afterwards!" repeated Malfoy.  
  
"Will all of you be all right down here?"  
  
"Don't worry, I'm here!" said Joy. "You don't have anything to wo- What happened to my sister?"  
  
"We're not too sure," said Malfoy. "We'll get this all cleared up afterwards."  
  
"Come on, let's go," said Professor Luigi, as Malfoy and him carried Glory (which was very hard) up the large stairs to the hospital wing. Joy hurried over to where her friends were.  
  
"Hi everyone! I'm not too sure- Oh no, I think I know why I'm here," said Joy, as she rubbed her arm where the Dark Mark tattoo was. "I am so sorry. I wanted to tell you all everything, but I couldn't!"  
  
"We know," said Hermione. "Lord Voldemort told us."  
  
"Oh my goodness! You talked to him?"  
  
"We did more than talk," said Ron. "We were almost killed by him!"  
  
"OH MY GOODNESS! I am so sorry. It's all my fault. I-"  
  
"You had to obey him," said Harry. "You were severely beaten if you weren't, and you were hypnotized. You don't have to apologize to us."  
  
"I feel like I have to! Oh, if it wasn't for- AAHH!"  
  
"You saw the giant snake?"  
  
"How could I not?"  
  
"I think we should get out of here," said Hermione.   
  
"Wait a minute," said Joy. "I think we should do something."  
  
Joy walked over to the large entrance with holes in it that Harry tried to open at the back of the chamber, and said an Unlocking Charm, which opened it. It revealed a small cell with a wooden bench and two prisoners that hurried out. They gasped for air and looked at everyone in shock. One wizard looked Spanish and had torn business robes on. The other wizard had a monocle and looked familiar to a photo Harry had seen in The Daily Prophet.   
  
"It's the business man from Chile and the hypnotist!" shouted Hermione. Harry walked up to the poor souls to see if they were all right.  
  
"Are you both all right ?" asked Harry, scared what their reaction would be.  
  
"Gracias! Gracias tanto por liberarnos!" said the Spanish business man from Chile. "Puedo finalmente respirar sin aspirar en ese polvo horrible! Estamos libres!"  
  
"What did he say?" asked Harry.  
  
"He's thanking you for freeing us," explained the hypnotist in a Manchester accent. He shook Harry's hand in happiness. "I would also love to thank you, for freeing me from that awful cell! The name's John Hypwell, one of the world's most famous hypnotists. I assume you heard of my kidnapping, and Mr. Chico Belroni's kidnapping as well. It's very glad to meet you Mr.-" His eyes darted at Harry's forehead and a remarkable smile spread across his face. "You're Harry Potter!"  
  
"Yes, I am," admitted Harry.  
  
"Qué?" questioned the business. "Usted malo decir que esta persona es Harry Potter, el muchacho que vivió de Usted-Saber-Que?"  
  
"Yes it is," said Mr. Hypwell. He whispered into Harry's ear. "After being locked up with him for months, I managed to pick up some Spanish."  
  
"Hello, Mr. Belroni," said Harry, as he shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."  
  
"A pleasuro to meeta me?" asked the business man in rough English. "Muchacho, es un placer satisfacerle! He esperado así que de largo ser libre y yo soñaba siempre el día que usted, Harry Potter, nos ahorraría ambos de esa persona horrible!"  
  
"What did he say?" asked Ron.  
  
"He said that it was more of a pleasure to meet you, Harry Potter. He had waited so long to be free and he always dreamt of the day that you would save us both from that horrible person."  
  
"You'ra mi hero!" said Mr. Belroni.  
  
"I agree with that!" said Mr. Hypwell.  
  
Harry stood and thought about the translation Mr. Hypwell had given him, and what Mr. Belroni had said. They had waited the day for him, Harry Potter, to save them, and he was their hero! He thought back to how his friends had always said that he was always trying to be the hero. After listening to what the two men said, he thought to himself how great it did feel that he was the hero.  
  
"I'm a hero," he said, mumbling to himself.  
  
"Yeah, you are," said Joy.  
  
"You're our heroes too," said Hermione.  
  
"But I didn't really do anything," said Harry. "It just happened."  
  
"We don't care," said Ron. "It's not just this that makes you our hero, Harry! You might not have known what happened to destroy Lord Vo-"  
  
"Oh mi calidad!" yelped Mr. Belroni. "No pronuncie ese nombre!"  
  
"Fine," sighed Ron. "You might not have known what happened to destroy You-Know-Who, but you did battle Tom Riddle and Professor Quirrell and all the other times!"  
  
"We wouldn't have gotten this far without you," said Hermione.  
  
"Thanks," sighed Harry.  
  
"Oh dear, and you're Princess Joy, aren't you?" said the hypnotist to Joy. "I don't think we were well-acquainted. I'm so sorry I had to hypnotize you like that, but he was going to kill me if- "  
  
"It's okay," said Joy. "There's no one here to blame. Only Lo-... You-Know-Who is to blame for all this."  
  
"Exactly!" said Hermione.  
  
"Eee!" yelped Mr. Belroni, pointing at the huge snake. Both wizards jumped in fear and ran to the wall.  
  
"You-Know-Who used your Luxark Diamond to bring back his 'pet'," said Harry.  
  
"Oh mi goodnessa!" exclaimed Mr. Belroni.   
  
Suddenly, Harry felt wobbly, as if he was swaying gently. Slowly, he swayed and fell to the ground... and everything turned black...   
  
Disclaimer: I didn't want to say this before because it would have ruined the surprise: I got the idea of the Sucking Incantation from an episode of Smallville that this girl got so hungry after drinking this mutant smoothie that she sucked up any living thing she tried to get her hands on, including a deer, which turned into venison (deer meat) jerky! Yeah, so I was inspired by that.  
  
Author's Note: So, did ya like it? I'm not going to do a recap next chapter of THAT, because it would be SO LONG to explain. Oh, and that Spanish that Mr. Belroni spoke? I don't know Spanish, but I do know about online translators! (Hehehe.....) PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!! 


	23. Realization of a Lovely Lady and a Liar

Chapter 23  
  
Realization of a Lovely Lady   
  
and a Liar  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other things I've mentioned. Oh, and in the chapter, it's mentioned that they're going to learn apparating next year, but in the real books, they're going to learn it in their 6th year, so I basically switched it around because when I first wrote the story, I thought Hogwart students did apparating in their 7th year.  
  
Author's Note: Hey everybody! OK, I'm sorry, but I'm not even going to attempt at recaping all the stuff from the last chapter. There's too much info in there. All I'll say is that it's the big climax, so GO READ IT AND REVIEW (if you haven't already). By the way, if any of you have reviewed and have put questions, all those questions will be answered at the end of the story, at the end of Chapter 25 (so hang on!). Anyway, the chapter name is pretty self-explanatory. Hope you enjoy!   
  
Harry finally woke up, although he wasn't in the chamber anymore. He was in a bed in the hospital wing. His bed was surrounded by gifts and sweets from people in the school, and his friends had gifts and sweets too. He saw Ron, Hermione and Joy on the other side of the room, and he glared at his right to see Glory and Malfoy, who were facing each other. Glory was sitting up in her hospital bed, her face cold and pale, with Malfoy, sitting on the side of his bed, facing Glory. Both of them were holding hands and had sad looks on their faces. They were having a serious conversation, and Harry, who wanted to listen in on it, pretended that he was still sleeping.  
  
"I don't think we can go on," sighed Malfoy, looking into Glory's eyes. "It's just not going to work out. Your family, actually more like the whole wizarding world, wants something of you, and my family wants something of me. Everyone expects so much from us."  
  
"I agree," sighed Glory. "Everyone's expecting me to marry a good person that would become King. I really want to marry a good person."  
  
"You deserve more than me," said Malfoy. "I've been brought up to be a sly, evil snob that looks down on all those not as pure, powerful and rich as I am. Let's face it, I don't think I could live up to be a great King."  
  
"You are a good person," said Glory. "I've seen your true colours this year, and they're so lovely and wonderful. Draco, you're a wonderful person on the inside and on the outside if you want to. It's only because of your family's influence that you act like that towards others."  
  
"Exactly!" said Malfoy. "I can never be who I want to be! There may be people who can do whatever they want with their family disowning them, but I can't. I just cannot live with the unbearable feeling that my family is ashamed of me. I can't do that."  
  
"I know. Your family has such different views about the world that if you reigned with me, it could lead to disaster."  
  
"I don't want that to happen. You deserve a glorious reign, not an evil one like my family will make me do. It's best if you don't let that happen. Besides, in my family all the wives stay at home and it's the man who's the head of the household. It's so ridiculous, because I hate lazy, greedy women like that. I want an independent woman, like you! Unfortunately, my family wouldn't agree with that. The thought that my wife was ruling me with the rest of the world, more powerful than I would be, would sicken them."  
  
"Knowing your parents, I would understand. I just can't believe how awful they think of Muggles! I mean, they don't agree with all my magic-perfecting inventions inspired by Muggle tools."  
  
"I know! Your work is amazing, but they just don't understand it. You would make any man happy. These 10 months have been the best months of my life. You taught me so much, and now my grades have turned out magnificent. I passed my exams with flying colours. The only problem about this year is that every time I'm with you, I have the awful feeling on my shoulders that we can't continue this."  
  
"I agree with you. I have a duty to fulfill, and I don't know if we can fulfill that together."  
  
"Perhaps when I become an adult, I'll slowly become less awful as my family has become."  
  
"I hope that too."  
  
"I was thinking about getting back with Pansy. My family really liked her, and I'm starting to miss the times I was with her."  
  
"You should go back with her. It sounded like you were meant to be."  
  
"I wish I was meant to be with you, though. If my family was more supportive and less devious, I could be a better person than I am now."  
  
"But it's not going to happen," said Glory. "Your family will always stay the way they are."  
  
"I love you, Glory. Even if my feelings become stronger for Pansy, there will always be a place in my heart for you. No matter what happens, you will always be my Queen."  
  
"I love you too, Draco. It's so sad to do this. I think I might have more feelings for someone else, someone that could be a better King. I'll miss you."  
  
"I'll miss you too."  
  
A tear drop came down from Glory's eyes, as Malfoy's grey eyes slowly began to become watery. Closer and closer they came to each other, until they shared a tender kiss. Malfoy and Glory held each other's hands for the last time. Malfoy's hand slowly slipped away from Glory's as he headed out of the hospital wing.  
  
"Goodbye!" he said, waving back at Glory.  
  
"Goodbye," choked Glory, who tried to hold back tears.   
  
Malfoy slowly went out of the room, giving a few glares back at Glory. Once he was gone, Glory let out all the tears inside of her. Harry felt so sorry for her. Malfoy didn't seem like such a bad person after all. His attitude was just an act he put on to show that he was a Malfoy. Harry thought about what Lord Voldemort said about Cho. Did she really say those things? He wondered who that someone that Glory was talking about. Who had she feelings for that would make a better King than Malfoy?  
  
"Glory?" said Harry, startling Glory.  
  
"Harry, I didn't know you were awake," she said, quickly drying her tears.  
  
"You were crying."  
  
"No, I'm just a bit tired."  
  
"It's okay, Glory. You can cry. I've cried before. Everyone has to cry."  
  
"You cry?"  
  
"Yeah, I do," said Harry, as he sat up in his bed. "I know it sounds feminine or something, but guys have feelings too."  
  
"When have you cried?" asked Glory.  
  
"A few times this year. I cried when Cho was attacked and when my friends were about to die right in front of me in that awful chamber. I also cried almost every day after the death of my godfather..."  
  
"Oh, you mean Sirius Black? I'm so sorry that happened. He wasn't really a criminal, although everyone thought he was."  
  
"Everyone tells me he's in a better place, but that still doesn't comfort me that much. The fact is that he's gone from my life forever, and the only way I'll ever see him is if... I die..."  
  
"That's so awful, but don't you have someone else that knew your parents, Remus Lupin is his name?"  
  
"Yes, I keep in contact with him like I did with my godfather, but it's not the same."  
  
"I know. I lost a mentor too a year before I started to learn magic."  
  
"Really? Who?"  
  
"She was my great-aunt on my father's side, who was also my godmother. She was a descendant of Professor Dumbledore, too. Her name was Millicent Bagnold. She was from England, and she was your Minister for Magic of England. She was the second female Minister for Magic."  
  
"Wow, I didn't know that. When did she serve as Minister?"  
  
"She was the Minister that was before Cornelius Fudge. She retired before I went to Nero Gatto Academy, a year before she died."  
  
"How was she your mentor?"  
  
"She taught me a lot of things," said Glory, "a lot of things that make me who I am right now."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"When I was younger, I was so confused about who I was. Because of who I was, everyone kept on telling me to do this and that and this... It was so confusing. They wanted me to do Quidditch, to be an Astrologist, and there are so many things they wanted me to do that I can't even count them. My parents didn't want to pressure me, but they kind of let the government influence my life. How can you blame them? They had two extremely powerful twin girls who would rule the world some day and they had no experience about raising powerful witches. My sister didn't care though. She did whatever she wanted, despite what everyone said. I couldn't do that. It was my great-aunt who gave me confidence. She told me that I could do whatever I wanted, as long as it was good and it could make me a better leader."  
  
"Didn't Dumbledore help you?"  
  
"Nono Albus was usually in England, so he didn't visit us much. My great-aunt always visited Italy and she had a getaway there too, so I saw her often. She was the one who helped me with everything: my duelling, my political skills, my inventing skills, all of that. She was an accomplished dueller, so she helped me a lot with that."  
  
"And she died?"  
  
"Yeah," she said, sighing and looking down, and then looked back up. "She died right before I went to Nero Gatto Academy. I was so devastated. Before she died, she gave me this necklace." Glory held up the cross necklace around her neck that she always wore, and held it tightly. "She said that no matter what, she would be watching me and protecting me. There is also something else about this necklace. Here," she said, as she turned over the large cross. Harry found that on the other side of the cross, there was a small miniature of the face of an elderly, yet youthful lady with a big smile, and a younger version of Glory. At the bottom it was engraved: Whatever you do, I will be watching you with kind eyes.  
  
"That's wonderful," said Harry. It was such a beautiful message, and he looked at the miniature and realized how caringly the lady looked at Glory. "Aren't there any paintings that you can speak to her with?"  
  
"Oh, I do speak to the paintings, but they're not the same. They're just paintings, not the real person."  
  
"I understand."   
  
"Did your godfather give you anything before he died?" asked Glory.   
  
"There are a few of his letters that I read once in a while. At Christmas before he knew he would die, he gave me two mirrors to talk to each other. I never got... to use them..."  
  
"I'm so sorry about that," said Glory. "My godmother died of a disease that effected her heart. She was very old though, even if she seemed so young. Your godfather died young when he didn't deserve to."  
  
"He fell behind the veil," sighed Harry. "He didn't even get a funeral."  
  
"Behind the veil?" asked Glory, looking at him with interest. "What veil?"  
  
"The veil in- Never mind. So, are you feeling okay after your break-up with Malfoy?"  
  
"I'm not too sure," she said, dabbing her wet eyes with a tissue. "It feels like a relief though, that we've finally settled it. It had been on our minds all year. There was just so much getting in the way with our relationship. I'm really going to miss him, but I guess I have to move on."  
  
"Were you very serious in your relationship?"  
  
"Yes and no," answered Glory. "There were things that we talked about that were serious, but we didn't know that we were serious in the way that we were certain to be together for the rest of our lives."  
  
"He's going back with Pansy?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yes, they're getting back together. It seemed they were meant to be together."  
  
Harry was really sad about what she was going through. He hoped that what Lord Voldemort said about Cho wasn't true. It just couldn't... But what were those personal reasons why he attacked her?  
  
"Glory?" asked Harry, a bit nervous to ask the question. "Lord Voldemort said to us that Cho's attack occurred for personal reasons. What was that all about?"  
  
"Oh, personal reasons!" she said in shock, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Well... uhm... er... You see... You heard the conversation with Malfoy and I, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, it has something to do with... the person I want to be with... the person that would really be good with ruling beside me..."  
  
"Who is it? I was really concerned to know."  
  
"Harry, I-"  
  
"May I please speak to you, Harry?"  
  
Harry turned around and saw that Dumbledore was calling him from the door of the hospital wing. The door was ajar and he was peaking inside the room, trying to call him. Disappointed he couldn't continue the conversation, he left his hospital bed and Glory and followed Dumbledore out of the Infirmary.  
  
"I wish to speak to you in my office," said Dumbledore, closing the door to the Infirmary.   
  
"What do you want to talk to me about?" asked Harry.  
  
"Recent events, and something else that you should know about Glory."  
  
Harry was really interested to know that secret about Glory, and wondered if that was what Glory was trying to tell him. Dumbledore led Harry to his office, said his password, passed the gargoyle statue, went up the spirally steps and into Dumbledore's office.   
  
It was exactly the same as he had seen it the other two times he went there that year. Dumbledore quickly sat down at his desk, and had let Harry sit down in the opposing chair. After clearing his throat, he spoke to Harry.  
  
"I have heard from Joy of what she can remember, of what had happened in that chamber," stated Dumbledore. "She tells me Lord Voldemort had explained everything to you about the past events?"  
  
"Yes, he did," said Harry. "He explained everything about the war, and all his plans."  
  
"Really, and what were his plans?"  
  
"He told us that he had sent the vision to Glory, and that the war was set up. When he was killed, he went into Glory's body and possessed her."  
  
"So all this time he was inside Glory, taking over her mind?" asked Dumbledore. "I see... It's not easy for me to hear that about a descendant of my own. It can be quite heartbreaking. Did he say for any particular reason why he picked Glory?"  
  
"He wanted a new body, because he was weak and aging. He wasn't powerful physically. He also wanted the amazing power she possessed, and he could take over the world in her body in a few years when she becomes Queen. He wanted to live those 1000 years, and he knew that Glory was slowly becoming interested in the Dark Arts and was creating a potion called the Potion of the Undead."  
  
"I could tell she was interested in the subject," sighed Dumbledore. "During the summer, I used the new inventions, the telescreens, to communicate with Joy and Glory, when I was busy with the Order of the Phoenix and Hogwarts business. We had a few talks with each other during the summer, and she told me that she tried to fight off the curiosity that dwelt inside her about the Dark Arts. She couldn't resist but go into it. She tried her best to not lure into the subject, but there were times she couldn't resist it. It was so sad... It's hard to think that this could have been prevented if she hadn't been lured into the Dark Arts. Everyone thinks about it once in their life. It's sad that when it happened to Glory, Lord Voldemort abused that weakness. I expected something drastic had happened when the Sorting Hat suggested putting her in Slytherin."  
  
"You mean there's another reason why the Sorting Hat considered her to be in Slytherin?" asked Harry.  
  
"Lord Voldemort was taking over her mind, wasn't he? Harry, there is no other house that was better meant for Glory to be in than Ravenclaw. She was a born Ravenclaw. What confused the Sorting Hat was that with Voldemort controlling her mind, it influenced who she was. When the Sorting Hat examined her mind, it saw the Slytherin characteristics of Voldemort and the Ravenclaw characteristics of Glory. After settling that, is there anything else you want to ask me?"  
  
"Did you know about the Potion of the Undead?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yes I did. In fact, I was the only one who knew about it. Right after her first Potions lesson, she started experimenting with potion-making and had the idea to create the Potion of the Undead. She had been working on it for about 4 and a half years. She worked on it longer and harder than any of her other inventions and potions she ever created."  
  
"Why did she try to create it?"   
  
"She wanted to bring back her godmother," sighed Dumbledore. "She deeply wanted to see her godmother again. She became so depressed about it unfortunately. I had to tell her that she was in a better place, but she wouldn't listen. It seemed a lot like what you were going through, Harry."  
  
Harry realized that it was true what Dumbledore said. Their experiences of losing their godparents seemed alike. Harry was urging to ask Glory questions of how she dealt with her godmother's death, since Harry still wasn't completely over Sirius' death.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore, is Lord Voldemort gone, or can he come back again?"  
  
"I'm afraid there are more ways he can come back, just like what I said in your first year. You have to kill him, Harry, or no one will. Before I forget, Glory wanted me to show you something in the Pensieve."  
  
"What did she want you to show me?"  
  
"Harry, Joy also told me that Voldemort told you what Glory had heard from conversation she overheard with Cho and her friends."  
  
"What Voldemort said was not true. He's a liar, you know that!"  
  
"Harry, I'm afraid this time he wasn't lying. He meant what he said. Cho is using you."  
  
Harry became utterly shocked and confused, anger and sadness swelling over him. She had used him? How could this be? It was as if everything remained completely silent for a few minutes and the world stopped for a while. He had no idea what to do.  
  
"She's using me?" asked Harry trembling.  
  
"I'm afraid so."  
  
"She's lying!" Harry stood up from his seat in anger. "Glory misunderstood!"  
  
"Harry, please! She's shown me in the Pensieve, and I believe her."  
  
"She could have been acting, she's a good actress!"  
  
"She even drank some Veritaserum with her tea to prove to me that she wasn't lying. It surprises me how quickly you change your feelings towards Glory. That's probably something Voldemort took advantage of when possessing her: acting skills. It was easy for him to hide everything."  
  
"But-"  
  
"If you like, you can smash more of my silver instruments. Someone gave me a box full of them and I don't know what to do with them."  
  
"Fine," said Harry, going over to a table of silver instruments. He took one of the instruments and smashed them on the ground with force. He looked at the broken pieces, and realized what he had done. "Smashing these things don't make me feel better."  
  
"It's because you're growing up," said Professor Dumbledore with a simple smile. "You're realizing that actions have consequences and you are slowly becoming an adult. Adolescence is a very rough time when one has emotional ups and downs. It is also a time of change. I can remember you were raging mad last year. Now, you have overcome your anger. Congratulations, you're growing up."  
  
Moving away from the broken pieces, Harry felt good about what Dumbledore said. He was growing up, and he had to admit that he was a lot more mature than last year.   
  
"The truth is, Harry, that you are in fact more mature than most 16-year-old boys I've ever seen. I think you've gotten it from your mother; she was always more reserved than all her friends during her 6th year. Now, to the Pensieve."  
  
Harry walked over to the cabinet and opened it, revealing a large basin in the room. Dumbledore brought with him a goblet with silver liquid inside it. He stood beside Harry and showed him the goblet.  
  
"This liquid," said Dumbledore, "is the memory of the conversation Glory saw. She wanted to show you and for you to understand what Cho was doing before you got hurt."  
  
Dumbledore poured the silvery stuff into the Pensieve. The water started to slowly turn until it looked like a miniature whirlpool. Once the water stopped twirling, a small scene started to appear in the Pensieve, and Harry slowly ducked his head into the basin...  
  
Harry saw Glory and her friends walking in one of the Hogwarts hallways deep in conversation.  
  
"I cannot wait to start apparating classes next year!" said Ruth.  
  
"Me too," said Vicky. "My older brother is always apparating and disapparating around the house. It's so annoying! He keeps on teasing me that I don't know how to apparate."  
  
"I'm a bit nervous," said Lucy. "Will the apparating test effect our NEWTs?"  
  
"Of course not!" said Tiffany. "Why would it? It's a whole entire separate class. Plus, it's not a NEWT class in the first place."  
  
"You're so lucky to know how to apparate, Glory!" sighed Ruth.   
  
"It's not a big deal," said Glory. "It's just about popping here and there. No biggee. It's very useful though. In fact, during the apparating ex- Oh look, there's Cho with her friends. I wonder what they're gossiping about now."  
  
"They better not be gossiping about us!" said Tiffany. "I heard one of them teasing me about my freckles."  
  
"Cho can be nice too, you know," said Vicky. "She's probably the nicest one out of all of them."  
  
"I still don't like her," grumbled Glory.  
  
Harry was really mad that Glory didn't like Cho. He wondered why. Glory and her friends hid behind a corner and listened to Cho's conversation with her friends.  
  
"So he literally asked you out?" questioned one of her friends with long blonde hair.  
  
"That's what I said," said Cho. "Harry Potter asked me out."  
  
"And you agreed to a date with him?" asked a short-haired brunette with a lollypop.  
  
"I already told you. He asked me out and I said 'yes'. Is that so hard to understand?"  
  
"Why did you say yes?" said the blonde.  
  
"I miss having a boyfriend. I still haven't completely gotten over Cedric, you know. Harry was there when he died. He can comfort me once in a while."  
  
"Is that it?"  
  
"Of course that's not it, Suzie! It's like dating a superstar. He defeated so many people of the Dark Arts, he's the wizarding world's hero! It's attractive, not that I'm that attracted to him. Maybe I'll get my picture in The Daily Prophet or something. I've always wanted to be in it."  
  
"So is it for love or fame that you're dating him?" asked her red-headed friend.  
  
"Mostly for fame. He's just not too much of my type, and I really do want a boyfriend. I'm sick and tired of staying in the common room alone on Saturday. It'll be entertaining dating him. Plus, he's the only one I could be comfortable with talking about Cedric."  
  
"Is that all you'd talk about?" asked Suzie.  
  
"Of course not! We'd talk about Quidditch and things like that. I guess he's not so bad. He's kind of cute, in a puppy kind of way. He was also staying near my house for a while. It wouldn't really be a long-distance relationship that way."  
  
"Wouldn't it be funny if you both became serious and ended up getting married?" suggested the blonde.  
  
"Yeah that would be funny," said Cho. "Just think about it. If I married him, I could say that I married the boy-who-lived!"  
  
All the girls chuckled evil laughs about the subject. Harry became stunned, and every laugh he heard coming out from their mouths felt like a stab in his back. How could she have done that to him? He loved her!   
  
"I can't take this," said Glory, as she left her friends and went up to Cho. Since she was so tall and Cho was short, Glory had to look down. "How can you say those things about Harry? He saved the world's butt so many times you can't even count them!"  
  
"I know that," said Cho. "That's one of the things that make me interested in him."  
  
"You're treating him like a doll!"  
  
"What's so wrong with that?" asked Cho. "Besides, I wouldn't talk. You've got the Muggle-hater for a boyfriend."  
  
"He's not as bad as you think," said Glory.  
  
"Your title doesn't mean anything to me. I'll do what I want with him."  
  
"He doesn't deserve to be treated like that."  
  
"Listen, 'Princess'," said Cho sarcastically. "You better not repeat what you just heard or I'll get all the Ravenclaws against you."  
  
"That's treason!"  
  
"If you tell Harry my secret, I'll tell him your secret."  
  
"But- You- Oh never mind!"  
  
Glory stomped off rather angrily, and walked away with her friends. Cho continued to giggle about the topic with her friends. Harry could not believe what she had said about her, and how Glory tried to stand up for him. He found that Glory was a lot kinder than he thought. Suddenly, everything began to swirl around him and...  
  
He was out of the Pensieve. He looked around the room and with a heavy heart, was still stunned at what he had seen.   
  
"I'm sorry you had to witness that," said Dumbledore, "but you had to know the truth."  
  
"I- I understand," sighed Harry. "What was the secret that Cho wanted to tell me if Glory had told me what she said?"  
  
"It would be the same thing that Glory was going to confess to you in the Infirmary."  
  
"Well, what is it?"  
  
"Harry, Glory has a crush on you."  
  
Harry became completely shocked at the news that he almost jumped.  
  
"She has a crush on - me? That's why she hated Cho so much? I liked Cho and not her?"  
  
"I suppose so. She can be a very jealous person."  
  
"That's just so- Wait a minute. She told me that it's something to do with the person that... She wanted to be with me. She thought that I would make a better King!"  
  
"Glory thinks very highly of you," said Dumbledore. "She's liked you for such a long time. If it wasn't for Malfoy, she would have absolutely fallen in love with you."  
  
"But, why? How come she likes me?"  
  
"She admired your courage. You have a lot more in common than you think. You both know how it's like to lose a loved one. You both have seen people die before your eyes."  
  
"Someone died before her eyes?"  
  
"Her godmother did. She was next to her hospital bed, holding her hand. She also saw many people die during the war. You've also had confrontations with Voldemort and you've both been used by him. You both know Parseltongue, and you've dealt with people ridiculing you."  
  
"She's been ridiculed?"  
  
"There are some anti-loyalists who made fun of her over the years and have exaggerated her title."  
  
"I never knew that."  
  
"You both also know duelling. You, not knowing your parents, seem to always discover more about your past every day. She too is always learning something about herself. She's always learning more about her extravagant powers and the past of other Magic Monarchs. You also have experience with people hiding information from you. I assume she's told you about her diary they had to destroy a few years back?"  
  
"Yes, she did."  
  
"She's also constantly being annoyed by The Daily Prophet, photographers and everyone noticing her star eyes and realizing she's Princess Glory."  
  
"Just like when people see my scar and recognize that I'm Harry Potter!"  
  
"Exactly. Harry, do you know why Lord Voldemort couldn't destroy you?"  
  
"No, I have no idea. I thought it would be the end of the Prophecy."  
  
"Actually, this also has something to do with the Prophecy. Lord Voldemort knew that it was either he who had to be killed by you or you had to be killed by him. The only problem is, is that he misunderstood that none of you can kill each other with the Sucking Incantation."  
  
"Why not?" asked Harry.  
  
"The effect of the Sucking Incantation is to suck out all the victim's power and energy and to use it for yourself, leaving the victim powerless and suffering. What Lord Voldemort didn't understand is that both your powers are lethal to one another. He couldn't suck in your powers and use it. One of you has to be killed with the other's powers, not that one's powers are taken away by the other."  
  
"So the Prophecy showed Lord Voldemort's defeat in this case."  
  
"Exactly. But alas, there is another reason why Lord Voldemort didn't kill you."  
  
"What is the other reason?"  
  
"You have to remember that that night, Lord Voldemort did indeed possess Glory to a large extent and took over the majority of her body so that he could control it, but he didn't control all of it. There was a part of Glory's mind that still controlled itself. So when Voldemort tried to kill you, that part stopped Lord Voldemort from doing so."  
  
"Glory stopped Lord Voldemort from killing me?"  
  
"Yes, I suppose so. Lord Voldemort was not just using his powers, but Glory's. Glory would never want to hurt you, which stopped Voldemort from doing so. It is only the Witch or Wizard Monarch who can handle another one's powers, Harry. Despite how powerful he is, Voldemort couldn't handle them for long."  
  
"Are those the reasons why I didn't die?"  
  
"There is still one more that corresponds with Glory. When your mother died, the love she had for you protected you from Voldemort. Love protected you. It seems that this time, love has protected you again. Glory not only has a crush on you, but also loves you as a subject. A monarch and an elected leader are very alike, but have different ways of 'serving' the people. An elected leader tries to listen to the voice of the people and tries their hardest to make the country the best that it can be for its people. A monarch, on the other hand, loves their subjects like children and serves them for their life to give what the people want. An elected leader is elected and employed to do something, but a monarch is born to do something. It was not only true and personal love for you from Glory that protected you, it was the love of you being her subject."  
  
"Wow... She's going to make a wonderful Queen."  
  
"So will Joy. Joy possesses the same qualities, although Glory has a bit more talented with the characteristics of an elected leader. A true politician, I must say."  
  
"You should say those things at the next meeting," said Harry. "The next meeting of the Ministries of Magic."  
  
"I think I will, Mr. Potter," stated the Headmaster. "Indeed, I will."  
  
"Did Joy know that she was being possessed and what she was doing?"  
  
"I suppose she knew what was happening to her," said Dumbledore. "She did have the mark. I think Professor Luigi might have known too. I think they knew a bit about what they were doing, but they didn't know exactly. It was almost like what happened to Ginny when the Chamber of Secrets were opened. She tried telling you and your friends the secrets, but she got into trouble because of it. Joy told me that she tried to give you a clue on how to start Lord Voldemort, although she didn't think you understood her."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"She told me that she told you and your friends that Lord Voldemort will be so strong, only he could stop himself, but you'd have to consider the Prophecy."  
  
"Yes, I remember when she said that! I didn't understand her at all when she said that."  
  
"She meant to say that you were the only one who could stop him, for Voldemort put a bit of himself in you. When she meant to consider the Prophecy, she was hinting as well it could only be you who could defeat him, and that the Sucking Incantation didn't solve the Prophecy."  
  
"Wow, if only I knew back then. I think I'll go now. I need to talk to Cho about what I just found out."  
  
"I think you should. It is best to talk about it with her."  
  
Harry started to walk out of the room, but then turned on his heel back to Dumbledore.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore, what day of the week is it?"  
  
"It's Saturday afternoon," said Dumbledore. "Lunch is almost about to end."  
  
"Does that mean everyone is in the Great Hall?"  
  
"Yes, they are."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Harry quickly walked out of Professor Dumbledore's office and to the Great Hall. Once he entered, he tried to find Cho and spotted her talking with her friends at the Ravenclaw table. Harry marched up to her in a disappointed look and tapped her on the shoulder. From sipping a glass of her pumpkin juice, she looked up to see Harry.  
  
"Oh Harry, I'm so glad you're out of the hospital wing!" she said with a large smile. "Almost the whole entire school has found out what happened last night. I cannot believe you almost died. I'm so glad you're all right!"  
  
"You're really glad that I'm all right?" questioned Harry angrily.   
  
"Of course, Harry. What's the matter? You seem so angry."  
  
"OF COURSE I'M ANGRY!" he shouted. "I just found out that you were just using me while we first dated."  
  
"What? Princess Glory told you?"  
  
"No, Vol-... You-Know-Who told me in the chamber, and then Dumbledore told me."  
  
"How did Professor Dumbledore know?"  
  
"Glory told him."  
  
"Really?" asked Cho in a sly voice. "Well, did you know that-"  
  
"I know she has a crush on me. Dumbledore told me that too."  
  
"What? Grr!!"  
  
"Don't 'grr' me, Cho. You used me!"  
  
"I didn't exactly use you."  
  
"OH, SO BASICALLY BEING YOUR ENTERTAINMENT THOSE LONELY SATURDAY EVENINGS ISN'T EXACTLY USING ME?"  
  
"But Harry-"  
  
"AND I GUESS ONLY WANTING TO DATE ME BECAUSE I WAS FAMOUS AND ALL SO YOU COULD GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN FOR THE DAILY PROPHET ISN'T USING ME EITHER?"  
  
"I'm attracted to that-"  
  
"I GUESS BEING YOUR LITTLE PSYCHIATRIST FOR CEDRIC'S DEATH BECAUSE I WAS THERE ISN'T USING ME AS WELL?"  
  
"Don't you dare talk about Cedric that way!" shouted Cho. "He was my boyfriend. I thought he was my soul-mate, but instead he's murdered! Harry, I cannot believe you can't understand how it's like to lose a loved one!"  
  
"Cho, I have lost more loved ones than you ever will in a lifetime, and don't you dare talk to me about how I can't understand! You might have lost your boyfriend, but I had to witness his horrible death, and I'm not using and abusing people's affections because of that!"  
  
"I wanted to know more about how he died."  
  
"Have you ever thought that I didn't really want to talk about it? Even so, wanting to know more about your late boyfriend's death isn't an excuse to pretend to be my girlfriend. You have no right to treat me like that!"  
  
"I just can't get over him, all right?"  
  
"Then why did you want to date me!"  
  
"I was bored."  
  
"Being bored isn't an excuse to abuse my feelings! I loved you, Cho. I even put my friends aside for you once. I gave you that locket you're wearing."  
  
"I think I love you too, Harry."  
  
"You THINK?" shouted Harry furiously. "You think you love me? I was certain that I loved you for a long time!"  
  
"I can't believe you're so inconsiderate!" said Cho. "My boyfriend was killed! How would you feel if your previous girlfriend was killed?"  
  
"If I had a previous girlfriend who was killed, I would have been emotionally unstable for a while and I would have missed them for a long time. I'd deal with it anyway though! I always have to deal with death! My whole entire life has dealt with death! Even if I was depressed, I wouldn't use another girl for my amusement so I could get over her."  
  
"I haven't gotten over Cedric. I still have some feelings for him."  
  
"Then why did you say 'yes' when I asked you on a date?" sighed Harry. "Why did you agree to be my girlfriend? Don't worry, I already know the answers. You've bluntly told me. This relationship is over."  
  
"Fine! I had better times with Cedric than I ever did with you," she said, as she ripped off her locket and shoved it in Harry's hand.   
  
She ran out of the Great Hall sobbing, as everyone in the room stared at him. All the students and staff (not including his friends in the hospital wing) watched him and Cho, and the fight they had. Harry didn't really want to put a show on for the whole school, but he had to get his message across. He left the Great Hall and went to the common room. He went up to his dormitory, threw the locket at the foot of the four-poster bed and sat violently on his bed and sighed angrily.   
  
"Why does this have to happen to me?" asked Harry to himself. "I wasted my heart for her. Why was I so blind? Our relationship did seem a bit 2-dimensional."  
  
Harry, not knowing what to do with his anger, stood up and walked back in forth in the room. He punched the walls a few times to get his anger out of him, but he was still very angry. He spotted the picture frame under his bed. He picked it up and looked at it. In the picture frame was a photo of Cho and him, smiling and waving at the person who was taking the camera. They were both so happy. He looked at himself in the photo. He looked so happy to have his arm around her. Now, he would rather throw up than even touch her.   
  
Harry couldn't stand looking at the photo. With all the anger inside of him, he threw it to the other side of the room. It collided into the stone wall with a large smash! and its glass shattered into many pieces, just like his heart had done when he found out about Cho.   
  
He walked slowly to the broken frame and picked it up to examine it. The glass was totally smashed and all its pieces were on the floor, but the frame wasn't broken except that it was chipped at the corner. Harry turned the frame over and opened it, taking out the picture. After his last look at the photo, he ripped it up and threw it with the pieces of glass. He looked at the frame and decided that he would keep it if he had another picture he wanted to frame. He put it back under his bed and picked up the glass and photo to throw away. He didn't want to leave the room a mess.  
  
After throwing away the pieces in the garbage in the common room, Harry thought he should pay a visit to his friends. He hadn't spoken to Ron, Joy or Hermione at all, and he wanted to have another talk with Glory. He walked through the castle to the Infirmary, and knocked on the door.  
  
"Who is it?" asked Madame Pomfrey,  
  
"It's me, Harry Potter."  
  
"You can come in, dear."  
  
Harry opened the door and saw Madame Pomfrey giving Hermione and Ron some medicine in cups, while Glory was reading a duelling manual. There was no sign of Joy anywhere.  
  
"Where's Joy?" asked Harry.  
  
"Princess Joy didn't have to stay for long," stated Madame Pomfrey. "She just needed some rest with a pill or two. She's been released from the hospital wing."  
  
Harry walked over to Glory and sat down on a chair beside her. Once she realized he was there, she quickly put away her duelling manual and greeted him.  
  
"Hello, Harry!" she said. "Are you all right? What happened in Dumbledore's office?"  
  
"I'm all right, I think," sighed Harry. "Dumbledore spoke to me about what happened and asked me about a few things."  
  
"What did he ask you?"  
  
"He asked me about what Lord Voldemort said. I told him about his plans and schemes. I didn't have to explain much. I suppose Joy already told him."  
  
"Nono Albus talked to her in the morning."  
  
"That explains it. He also told me that the reasons why I probably didn't die."  
  
"What were they?"  
  
"He told me that the Sucking Incantation wouldn't work on me, because both our powers are lethal to each other. He also told me that you saved me."  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Yes, you! He told me that you would never hurt one of your subjects."  
  
"That's very true," stated Glory.  
  
"He told me as well that you would never want to hurt me. He told me about your feelings towards me."  
  
Glory almost jumped in her bed and she had an embarrassed look on her face. Her cheeks were blushing.  
  
"I had a feeling he would tell you. It doesn't matter though. You deserve to know."  
  
"You don't have to be embarrassed. I'm actually thankful you have those feelings for me. If you didn't, something bad could have happened to me."  
  
"Well, you're welcome."  
  
"It's so strange. I think about the fact I'm talking to royalty, and it shocks me. You're very different from Muggle royalty, you know. They seem so traditional, proud and just so different. Some people think they're stuck-up, although I don't think they are. You and your sister are so different though. You have amazing personalities, you're so multi-talented and you're down-to-earth. You don't seem high-ranking, you just seem amazing and wonderful."  
  
Glory blushed even more at what Harry said.  
  
"Thank you so much for saying that. Actually, I was what you described about Muggle royalty before the war. I was very traditional, proud and very polite. I wasn't a snob, but I was very much like Muggle royalty."  
  
"What about your sister?"  
  
"She was a bit more down-to-earth than I was. She's what my family calls, a 'free spirit'. She doesn't listen to people who tell her who to be. She did possess many characteristics of etiquette and the Muggle monarchy though. It was basically the war that changed us so."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Harry, we became soldiers during that time. We fought vigorously and lived in awful places. We interacted with so many people, and we didn't have house-elves to do the dirty work. It kind of made us get off our high horses, or let us come back down to earth."  
  
"So the war changed you for the better, right?"  
  
"Yes and no. I changed in good ways, but in bad ways too. I became a bit paranoid and scared during what I experienced. The whole entire time I felt uncomfortable and insecure. I felt doomed. I think I might have been scarred for life because of it. I think this year might have scarred me too. The fact that an evil spirit was inside my mind makes me shiver. My life isn't as comfortable and beautiful as I once thought. If anyone thinks that the war last summer was exciting, then they're wrong. Despite all the bad things you've seen, Harry, those things are nothing compared to what I experienced. You are so lucky they didn't let you fight in that war, Harry. You don't know how lucky you are!"  
  
Glory became pale and quivery at that moment, and Harry could understand why. He'd heard before war was a bad thing, but by the look on Glory's face, it seemed worse than he ever imagined. A few tears fell from her cheek, but she quickly wiped them away and continued on with the conversation.  
  
"Did Lord Voldemort say why he possessed me?" asked Glory.  
  
"In fact, he did. He needed a stronger body, and he was interested in how powerful and immortal you were, and that you would rule the world someday."  
  
"It feels like my powers and title give me such an abnormality sometimes."  
  
"I feel that way too sometimes. Because of the Prophecy and the powers Voldemort gave me, I feel abnormal."  
  
"We have a lot in common, you know."  
  
"I know. Dumbledore told me."  
  
Just then, Draco Malfoy entered the room and approached Glory's bed.  
  
"Hello, Glory!" said Malfoy. "I- I was wondering if you could take that Dark Mark off my arm now."  
  
"Sure, of course."  
  
Glory bent down and pulled out a bottle in the bottom drawer of the cabinet beside her. She also got a small towel.  
  
"Oh, er.... Hello, Potter," said Malfoy shyly in a low voice. Harry was surprised he spoke to him.   
  
"Hi, Malfoy."  
  
"So... Are you feeling OK?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good."  
  
"Draco, just lift up your sleeve and extend your arm," said Glory as she dabbed the liquid onto the towel. Malfoy obeyed what Glory said.  
  
"Is this going to hurt?" asked Malfoy.  
  
"Draco, I'm taking off the mark that the Dark Lord put on you. Of course it's going to hurt."  
  
"OK, just - AAAAHHHH!!!!"  
  
Glory had put her hand onto his mark and a large light lit it up from the palm of her hand. Harry could hear a burning and sucking noise. Malfoy was whimpering, screaming and crying from the pain. Once Glory lifted her hand from the mark, the light had disappeared. On Malfoy's arm was full of blood and some black gooey stuff. Glory washed the blood and black goo off, and afterwards wiped off the Dark Mark which came off like washable marker.  
  
"There you go, all done! You should go and ask Madame Pomfrey for some ice."  
  
"Sure. Goodbye."  
  
"Goodbye!" said Glory. Once he was gone, they turned back to their conversation.  
  
"What were we talking about?" asked Glory.  
  
"We were talking about how we're so much alike."  
  
"Oh, okay."  
  
"As I was saying before, Dumbledore told me how we're so much alike."  
  
"I suppose we have to add 2 new ones to the list of likenesses."  
  
"What would those be?"  
  
"We both absolutely stink at Occlumency and Lord Voldemort used us by controlling our minds."  
  
"I agree to that. I felt so abused last year. You see, I had this dream that Voldemort was in the Ministry of Magic and he was torturing Sirius to get him a weapon. I wanted to save Sirius, so my friends and I went to the Ministry to save him. When we got there, I found out it was a trap."  
  
"It seems exactly like what happened to me when I saw that vision. I never knew until my sister and Dumbledore told me that it was a trap. To think, everyone thought how gifted I was to see that vision."  
  
"How horrible. When did you start feeling a bit possessed?"  
  
"I think it was right after I had left the battlefield, and everyone was cheering. They all hugged and bowed down to me. Someone said, 'Congrats, Glory! You're the greatest!' and I snapped back at them and told them that I was to be addressed at 'Your Royal Highness' or 'Princess'.   
  
"I had another experience a day before school. I wanted to go to the library, but when I went, I didn't remember going. I found myself in the foyer instead. All I remember were hissing sounds. When I found myself in the Grand Foyer of the palace, I saw people rushing up the stairs. I later found out my sister had been attacked by Voldemort's snake."  
  
"That's awful."  
  
"I never knew or thought that I could have been the cause of it."  
  
"What an awful person he is. The things he'll do to you will make you feel sick."  
  
"I feel sick just thinking about what happened. He was... inside of me... controlling me. Harry, how was I like when he took over me?"  
  
Harry thought for a moment and thought back to the awful times when Glory became cruel.  
  
"You were very mean," answered Harry. "You were a bully, pushing others around. You had called Hermione a Mudblood and you had said to your sister that she dresses like she wants to get pregnant."  
  
"Oh my goodness!" gasped Glory, as she covered her mouth with her hands. "I never meant those things! I can't believe Voldemort made me say them! You don't think people think I'm horrible, do you?"  
  
"I think the news has gotten out and they understand why you were acting like that."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but I think so. Glory, I saw your true colours many times this year. You're very sweet. You're multi-talented and you're so smart! You remind me so much of Professor Dumbledore, and you're so... beautiful..."  
  
It was at that moment, Harry's heart leaped and his eyes finally opened and realized how beautiful Glory was. He noticed that she looked like a super model when he first saw her, but it never clicked to him about how gorgeous she really was. He also realized how wonderful she was, and she was a lot better than Cho. Harry fell in love with her.  
  
"Wow, I never knew you thought that about me," said Glory, blushing.  
  
"Glory, I think I'm in love with you," Harry admitted quickly.  
  
This came as a large shock to Glory, and her eyes widened in surprise. Harry couldn't believe what he had said either.  
  
"You're... you're in love with - me?"  
  
"I... I think so. You were very supportive of me, unlike Cho. You stood up for me when she was talking bad about me. I owe my life to you, Glory! You stopped Voldemort from killing me."  
  
"Harry, you don't owe me anything!"  
  
"I at least owe you a date."  
  
Glory was still a bit stunned.  
  
"A date? You? Me?"  
  
"Yes, we can go out tomorrow night."  
  
Glory was so flattered at the offer.  
  
"Harry, that would be wonderful!" exclaimed Glory, as she hugged Harry tightly. "I'll arrange it! We'll have dinner in my rooms, and after we can take a carriage ride. It will be great!"  
  
"Cool. I guess that settles it - Oh, look who's here."  
  
It was Malfoy coming into the hospital wing with his snake. He went to Glory's bed again.  
  
"Hi! Sorry to bug you again, but I brought over my snake. Mr. Belroni fixed it. Do you want to hold it?"  
  
"Sure," said Glory. Malfoy handed the large snake over to her. The snake quickly slithered around her shoulders and looked into her starred eyes. Glory suddenly spoke in Parseltongue. "You're an adorable snake, aren't you?"  
  
"The snake isn't as bad as I thought," said Harry.  
  
"Did you want to hold him?" asked Malfoy. Harry was shocked at the offer.  
  
"Er... whatever..."  
  
Glory held onto the snake and gave it to Harry. The snake's tail slithered around Harry as he held up the snake's head to eyelevel. Harry looked straight into its big black eyes, it was kind of cute in a way. He felt a bit scared that it was wrapped around him though.  
  
"Hello," hissed Harry in Parsletongue. "How are you?"  
  
"Good day, mate!" hissed the snake in a slightly female Australian accent. "I'm doin' fine. The name's PG, like Princess Glory. It's not quite a common name for a serpent like me, ain't it, laddie?"  
  
"It's Australian!" said Harry to Glory and Malfoy.  
  
"Draco got it imported from Australia."  
  
"So you're from Australia?" hissed Harry to the snake.  
  
"Sure am, lad! I'm straight from Down Unda'! I came from a jungle in the East of Australia. Lovely, really. I've got an artificial one now at home."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"The Malfoys have a huge garden at their estate, and Draco lets me slither wherever I want. He's a good chap, you know. His family's a bit fierce if you know what I mean. His father's worse than a croc!"  
  
"I hear you!"  
  
"Potter, I think I have to go now," said Malfoy. "I kind of need the snake back."  
  
"Oh, all right," said Harry. He gave the snake back to Malfoy.  
  
"So Potter, did Glory tell you about- "  
  
"He knows everything, Draco," said Glory. "We're going on a date on Sunday in fact."  
  
"Really? Well, I- I'm really happy for you. Pansy and I are back together."  
  
"That's great," said Glory.  
  
"I'll see you soon," said Malfoy, as he went out of the room. Soon after, Joy came in. She went over to Glory and Harry.  
  
"Hi everyone!" she said in a cheery mood. "How are you both?"  
  
"We're great," said Glory. "In fact, we're going on a date Sunday."  
  
"Wow," said Joy, with the same expression on her face that her mother had when she paired up Remus and her secretary. She gave a wink at Harry. "I'm happy to hear that. Glory, can you take this Dark Mark off?"  
  
"Sure," said Glory, as she got out her bottle and another small towel.  
  
"Harry, did you know that she invented the stuff to take off the Dark Mark?" asked Joy, as she lifted up her sleeve.  
  
"You invented that stuff?" asked Harry.  
  
"With the help of Professor Snape, I did. He told me how much he wanted to get rid of that mark, so I had the idea of the potion. Joy, are you ready for this?"  
  
"Hopefully."  
  
Glory did exactly what she had done to Malfoy, except that Joy didn't scream and cry as much as Malfoy had. Glory quickly wiped away the tattoo.  
  
"Everything's done," said Glory. "I need to go now. Professor Luigi and Snape want their tattoos off too. Just remember to ask Madame Pomfrey for ice."  
  
"Are you sure you're fit to leave?" asked Harry.  
  
"I'm fine now. I'll come back once I'm done what I need to do. Bye!"  
  
Glory got out of her bed and left the room to leave Harry, Joy and Ron alone.  
  
"Do you want to go to Ron's bed?" asked Joy.  
  
"OK."  
  
Harry and Joy sat down near Ron, who was pigging out on Chocolate Frogs. He stopped eating and stuffed the boxes under his pillow.  
  
"Oh, hi, Harry! Hi, Joy! How are you doing, Harry?"  
  
"I'm doing pretty well, and you?"  
  
"Much better," he said, as he sneaked a Chocolate Frog into his mouth.   
  
"You gave us a scare when you fainted," said Joy.  
  
"I didn't mean for that to happen. I just- "  
  
"You don't have to apologize to us!" said Ron.  
  
"I know, but I felt I had to."  
  
"By the way, Ron, did you hear that Harry has a date with Glory on Sunday?" asked Joy.  
  
"What? But, Harry! What about Cho?"  
  
"Cho's a despicable person I don't even want to see again," said Harry angrily.  
  
"You really think that what You-Know-Who said was true?" asked Ron.  
  
"It was true, Ron. Dumbledore told me, and he showed me with the Pensieve. I found out that she was using me. She was bored, and she wanted to talk about Cedric's death. Plus, she liked the fact that I was famous."  
  
"Harry, I cannot believe she did that to you," said Ron. "So, what's the deal with you going on a date with Glory? Why Glory?"  
  
"I found out we have a lot in common," said Harry. "I owe my life to her for saving my life from Voldemort."  
  
"What?" asked Ron.  
  
"I'll tell you about it later," said Joy.  
  
"Besides, she has a crush on me."  
  
"She has a crush on you?" questioned Ron. "Of course! All those times she looked at you and blushed... It all makes sense now. What are your feelings for her?"  
  
"It's strange but, when I started talking to her and when I told her why she's really nice, I started... I started to fall... in love with her."  
  
"Isn't it sweet?" sighed Joy. "Oh Ron, are you sure you're all right?"  
  
"I already told you both, I'm OK!"  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Well, maybe..." Ron drifted off. Harry felt that Ron didn't want to say something.  
  
"There's something you want to tell us," said Harry. "I know it."  
  
"I was an inch from death," sighed Ron, looking a bit pale. "You know how they say when you're dying, and you see a tunnel with a light at the end? Well, I saw that! I was dying, Harry! I don't think I'll ever be all right... During that moment, I thought I'd see Sirius and everyone again... I was so scared..."  
  
Ron drifted off from what he was saying. He didn't look like the lively Ron that Harry knew. He wondered if he'd ever get his best friend back, or if he'd ever get over it.  
  
"But it doesn't matter. I'm alive now. It's just so hard to stop thinking about that light... the blinding light..."  
  
Joy sighed and hugged her boyfriend. She knew Ron wasn't all right. She had such a glum look on her face.  
  
"Do you think he'll be all right?" asked Harry.  
  
"He'll eventually stop thinking about it so much, but after being scarred for life, no one ever really recovers. I'm sure you know, Harry."  
  
"I do know. Glory told me about the war you fought. Were you scarred too?"  
  
"Harry, I wasn't scarred. I am scarred. I'm scarred for life. You can't believe the horrible things I saw during that war. I saw Death Eaters and even a few people from our army dying right before my eyes. I witnessed the Unforgivable Curses being used countless times. I even witnessed soldiers having their limbs ripped off! I watched innocent men suffer as their families prayed for them and worried about them at home. I saw soldiers and Aurors sending letters to their families, not knowing if they'll be alive to get their families' replies. It was awful..."  
  
"It sounds so gruesome. Glory told me about it, but she wasn't that specific about the gruesome and horrible things she saw."  
  
"You wouldn't want to know," said Joy, choking up words. "Things like that can make you forget that life is even happy. I tried to think of something happy to make myself perky, but there was no use. There weren't any happy things. I tried to think that we'll be home soon, the war will be over soon and Voldemort would be killed once and for all, but I wasn't even sure of those things. Voldemort didn't die after all, and by the time I went home, I had to pack up and go to Hogwarts. Even if the war is officially over, it still doesn't seem over. I still have nightmares about it. I have nightmares of replaying those awful things I've seen, Harry! I keep on seeing people die in my dreams!"  
  
Joy burst out into tears. Harry couldn't believe what Joy was trying to hold back for so long. Not even the happiest person he knew was really happy. From his long stare, Ron realized Joy was crying and started to pat her on the back. She cried on his shoulder, as a tear fell down from his cheek too, which he quickly wiped away. He probably didn't want anyone to see that he was crying. Harry tried to hug Joy and calm her down. After a while, Joy sniffed and wiped away her tears. Her face was red and her make-up had smeared.  
  
"Where's Hermione?" asked Harry.  
  
"She's in the girls' bathroom," sighed Ron. "She got a letter from Krum. He broke up with her."  
  
"Oh no," sighed Joy. "She was so happy with him."  
  
"This day just keeps on getting worse," said Harry.  
  
"No, Harry, you shouldn't think that!" said Joy. "We might have a horrible time, but you don't have to. That awful Cho is out of your life and you have a date with Glory. Believe me, she won't let you down."  
  
"All right," said Harry, as he let out a long sigh. "I'm going to find Hermione."  
  
Harry left the room and wandered in the hallways looking for the girls' washroom. He finally found it, and tried knocking on the wooden door.  
  
"Hermione? Are you in there?" called Harry.  
  
"Who is it?" asked the muffled voice of Hermione.  
  
"It's Harry."  
  
"Oh, Harry!" called out Hermione. "I'll be out there soon!"  
  
Harry waited for a few minutes until Hermione came out of the washroom. Her face was red even though she had tried to wash it, and she held a long letter in her hand.  
  
"Are you all right?" asked Harry, concerned. "What happened?"  
  
"Viktor dumped me," said Hermione, her noise still a bit stuffed up from crying. "He wrote this letter saying how I don't encourage him, he can't stand long-distance relationships and that he found another girlfriend."  
  
"I'm so sorry that happened," said Harry.  
  
"I am too. I was such a good girlfriend! He says I didn't encourage him, but I did! I can't believe I wasted my time."  
  
"I know just how you feel," sighed Harry. "You know that thing that Voldemort said about Cho? Well, it's true. She was using me to learn more about Cedric, because she was bored and because I was famous and everything. She said she would have liked to have her photo in The Daily Prophet."  
  
"That's even worse than my situation!" said Hermione. "She used you, and for such a long time! You really did love her. You didn't deserve that. Did you talk to her?"  
  
"Did we ever talk! We made a huge scene in the Great Hall. We've broken up now."  
  
"Did she even love you at all?"  
  
"She said that she 'thought' she loved me. She thrust it right in my face at the end of the fight that Cedric was a better boyfriend."  
  
"Oh, Harry."   
  
Hermione hugged Harry tightly, and then gently let go.  
  
"So, do you have any plans for anyone else to date?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Actually, I'm going out with Glory tomorrow night."  
  
"Oh, that's wonderful! I'm glad she finally broke up with Malfoy. I heard they were having a bit of problems in their relationship. I listened to their break-up. It was so sad. I can't believe Malfoy isn't a slime ball. Glory really is nice, you know."  
  
"I know that. Dumbledore even told me that we have so many things in common."  
  
"What else did Dumbledore tell you?"  
  
"He told me the reason why Voldemort couldn't kill me. It was because he tried doing the Sucking Incantation, and both our powers are lethal to each other. It was also because of Glory."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"A small part of her stopped Voldemort from using her powers against me. You see, Glory has a crush on me."  
  
"Oh my goodness!" exclaimed Hermione. "I had a feeling she liked you. Did you see the look on her face whenever she saw you? But do you have feelings for her?"  
  
"It seems so icky and weird, but while I was talking to her and I named all her talents, I started to fall in love with her, right then and there."  
  
"That's so sweet!" said Hermione.  
  
"That's exactly what Joy said. Have you seen Ron? He's completely out of it."  
  
"It's sad. I was shocked at first when I realized what had happened, but now I'm just glad to be alive. The only problem is, is that this letter made everything worse. I hope Ron will be all right."  
  
"Joy said no one will ever be all right after being scarred for life."  
  
"She said that? She usually would be the one to say that he'll be better."  
  
"It turns out she was scarred from that war. She told me how she still has nightmares of the bad things she saw in the war. It's horrible all the things that she described... just gruesome."  
  
"Oh dear, I never knew that. I think I should talk to her later. First, I have to burn this letter before I do something 'really' lethal with it. See you later!"  
  
"Bye!"  
  
As Hermione rushed to the common room (to burn the awful letter in the fireplace), Harry leaned on the wall for a minute to think about all that had happened that day: all the confessions, all the break-ups, all the heart-aches and all the stories of his friends being scarred for life. He thought about all the awful things that Joy and Glory had suffered. To think, they hadn't even turned 16 at the time! He tried to think of something else, like the date he would have with Glory the next evening. He was really excited for that.  
  
*****  
  
Harry had an absolutely wonderful date with Glory. First, he went to her rooms and they ate in her personal miniature dining room, where they had a delicious meal of haute cuisine and gourmet foods that delighted the taste buds on Harry's tongue. Harry poked a bit of fun at Glory who gulped her food down so quickly. Harry found out that she had a sense of humour that made any moment even more pleasant.   
  
Afterwards, Glory took out the wonderful carriage she had received for her birthday from Professor Dumbledore that was pulled by her black unicorn that she decided to name Marguerite D'Hogwarts. The carriage was pulled by Dobby, who was absolutely excited to drive for Harry Potter and Princess Glory's carriage ride. As Dobby opened the door for them to get in, Harry entered the carriage after Glory and looked around the room inside. It looked so much like the Ravenclaw common room. Like Joy's carriage, there were photos of Joy and Glory and Dumbledore around the carriage. Hung above the Ravenclaw-like fireplace was the exact same painting of Glory, Joy and Dumbledore in Joy's carriage. Harry even spotted a miniature fountain that looked almost exactly like the fountain in Ravenclaw on a small table.   
  
"You have a miniature of the fountain!" remarked Harry.  
  
"I know, I love it too. It's one of my favourite things in here. Doesn't Gryffindor have a fountain?"  
  
"No, we don't. Sadly, Slytherin has one and so does Ravenclaw. I hope Hufflepuff doesn't have one."  
  
"How do you know that Slytherin has a fountain?"  
  
"I- er....."  
  
"You went dream-peeking a while back, didn't you?" questioned Glory.  
  
"Yeah, kind of... How do you know?"  
  
"Joy told me."  
  
"Oh, OK. You're not going to report that, are you?"  
  
"Of course not! Instead, I'll try and see if I can get a fountain in the Gryffindor common room," she said as she gave a wink that looked rather similar to Dumbledore's wink.  
  
"You know, you remind me so much of Professor Dumbledore in a few ways," said Harry, "like your wink for example."  
  
"I don't know, Harry, but I think it just might be that I could be a descendant of Professor Dumbledore," she said in a sarcastic way.  
  
"I think you might even have his sense of humour too."  
  
"Hey, you try being stuck in a war-tent with Professor Luigi for two months and not learn a joke or two."  
  
"Ha! You are funny. Wow... am I ever in love with you..."  
  
Harry and Glory had a wonderful conversation in the carriage. Harry felt so comfortable on the date, which was more comfortable than any of his dates with Cho Chang. They had so much to talk about, and every minute he spent more with her, the more he fell deeply in love with her. No wonder Malfoy loved her so much, thought Harry. Another great thing was that she didn't say or do any weird girl things that Cho had done.   
  
By 9 o'clock, they had finished their ride in the carriage. Dobby stopped the carriage right in front of the castle's entrance.  
  
"This is it," sighed Harry. "There ends our first date. Do you want to go on another one?"  
  
"Of course! If you want, we can be girlfriend and boyfriend."  
  
"I would love too."  
  
"That's wonderful."  
  
"Uhm... Do you think I can - maybe - kiss you?"  
  
"Kiss me? But, it's our first date. I suppose... We have known each other for more than one evening..."  
  
"So would you like a kiss?"  
  
"Well, I suppose so. Yes, that would be lovely."  
  
Glory and Harry moved closer and closer to each other, and closed their eyes, until their lips met and they gave each other a tender kiss. They pulled back after a few seconds and smiled back at each other.  
  
"That - that was wonderful," said Harry. He had really enjoyed the kiss.  
  
"Yeah, it was."  
  
"I guess this is goodbye for tonight."  
  
"Yes, I guess so. Are you going to be at the meeting of Ministries?"  
  
"Of course I will, and no matter what they decide, I'll always be there for you!"  
  
Glory smiled at what Harry said as they went into Hogwarts and parted to their common rooms. Harry said the password quickly and entered the common room. His friends were happy to see him.  
  
"Harry, how was your date?" asked Ron curiously.  
  
"Perfect," sighed Harry, as he went up the stairs to his dormitory.  
  
"Is he coming back?" asked Hermione.  
  
"I think we should just leave him alone," said Joy. "By the looks on that smile on his face, all he wants to do is think about that night."  
  
Harry smiled at what they said and went to up to his room. He found Seamus in the room, looking at his album.  
  
"Oy, Harry!" greeted Seamus. "I heard you went on a date with Princess Glory. How was it?"  
  
"It was absolutely magnificent!" said Harry. "Wait, wouldn't you be mad that I'm dating her?"  
  
"No, I've gotten over it," said Seamus. "I've realized I'm not going to have a chance with her. You deserve her. Besides, I found out from Malfoy that it's not just being a good boyfriend that qualifies as going out with her. If it goes far, you're going to have to be King! That's too stressful for me. I think you'll make a wonderful King, Harry. Everyone loves you! On the other hand, do you think Weasley'll make a good King?"  
  
Harry hadn't thought about it. He pondered at the question, and found out his answer.  
  
"He would make a great King," said Harry. "He's got pretty good grades and I think he'll be very supportive to Joy. He is a Prefect, you know."  
  
"Yeah, you're right. Hey, I found a picture of Glory and you in a picture. Do you want it?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
Seamus passed Harry the photo. He looked at it closely. Harry and Glory were standing together, Glory's cheeks were blushing with a tinge of red. He looked under his bed, and picked up the frame that once held a picture of him and Cho. He quickly put the picture in of him and Glory and put the frame beside his bed.  
  
"Eh, what's that under your bed?" asked Seamus. "That gold thing?"  
  
"This?" said Harry, as he picked up the locket. "It's the locket I gave to Cho."  
  
"I don't mean to be rude but, can I have it? I have this sister who's turning 10 years old in a week and she's crazy for jewellery. She doesn't care if it belonged to anyone before her, she just loves jewellery."  
  
"Sure, I didn't know what to do with it anyway."  
  
Harry handed Seamus the locket and a smile spread across his face.  
  
"Thanks, Harry! Good night!"  
  
"Good night, Seamus!"  
  
Seamus Finnigan put his album away, pulled the sheets on his four-poster bed and slept. Harry got ready for bed and went to sleep. Instead of having a dream about Sirius' death, he had a dream about the night he had, and Glory.  
  
Author's Note: PLEASE REVIEW!!!! Oh, and the next chapter's called, "The Ministries of Magic's Decision". That's somewhat self-explanatory too, meaning that the Ministries of Magic will decide if there will be a monarchy or not. BUT IT"S NOT JUST THAT! Just as a little sneak peak - Cornelius Fudge will tell Harry something very surprising, and make the chapter a great cliff hanger!!! DUNDUNDAAA!!!! Oh, and one more thing: PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! 


	24. The Ministries of Magic's Decision

Chapter 24  
  
The Ministries of Magic's Decision  
  
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Harry Potter, and I also didn't write the quotes I used that were said by the cool female voice at the Ministry of Magic in the 5th book of Harry Potter. Oh, and no offence to any of the countries I mentioned that were against the Monarchy of Magic, especially Germany (don't hate me!!!). I just randomly selected some countries that didn't have the Monarchy, and I am not trying to offend those countries AT ALL in my story. And also, forgive me if my instructions to make tea don't seem right, 'cause I don't know how to make tea.  
  
Author's Note: Hey, people! Glad you're reading this. Once again, I'd like to thank ANYONE who has reviewed this, especially the most recent reviewers in particular, who I won't say because I'm not sure if they want their name in this. If they do, they can tell me, 'cause I'll gladly put it in. Oh yeah! Recap: Harry woke up and later found out that Malfoy wasn't a filthy brat, that Glory was wonderful and gorgeous and that Cho was a liar who used him while dating (and that his friends were all scarred for life and were having a bad day). He and CHo broke up and he's now dating Glory. Oh, and Glory and Malfoy broke up too. Now READ AND REIVEW!!!!   
  
It was the last day of the school year, and everyone was packing up all their belongings into their luggage to get ready to go back home. Harry wondered if he would meet Remus at the train station. Why hadn't Harry written a letter to him? He also wondered how he would keep in contact with Glory during the summer.  
  
While he looked under his bed to pack everything there inside his luggage, he came across the picture album Remus had given him. He flipped through its pages, and saw many pictures of James, Sirius and Remus during their years of Hogwarts. He also saw Peter Pettigrew, but tried to ignore his image. He was the one who helped Voldemort kill his parents.   
  
He slid the album in his luggage and found the wooden box with all of Sirius' things, including the two mirrors Sirius had given Harry the Christmas he spent with him. He remembered when he had thought he could contact Sirius with it after he had died. He wondered if they'd ever find his body beyond that mysterious veil. He looked at the mirrors closely, but quickly put them away. His throat hurt from trying to not cry. He couldn't look at the mirrors and not feel awful and miserable. He tried to think of one good thing that could cheer him up: he would finally be able to do magic out of Hogwarts.  
  
Once he had finally packed all his things and put them in his BCB, he left the Gryffindor dormitories and common room and went to the Great Hall to meet his friends. On the way there, he spotted Professor Luigi who was directing the house-elves where to put the cases of luggage.  
  
"Put them right over there - Hello, Harry. How are you doing on this wonderful day?"  
  
"Pretty well."  
  
"Are you going to be going to the meeting of the Ministries of Magic?"  
  
"I hope so. I just need a ride to get there and someone who knows where it is. I'll ask Remus about that. Are you going to be coming here next year?"  
  
"I'm afraid not, Harry. I only had a 1-year contract to teach at this school. I was actually hired to make sure the Princesses fitted in alright. Besides, I miss Italy and I have to go back to Nero Gatto Academy for my post as Deputy Headmaster. My brother says the year wasn't the same without me."  
  
"We'll really miss you."  
  
"I'll miss you all too, especially you, Harry. You're going to be a great Auror someday," said Professor Luigi, as he patted him on the back.  
  
Harry smiled and went to meet his friends in the Great Hall. There, he talked to his friends and ate a nice breakfast. Joy was a bit nervous for the following day, although everyone reassured her many times that everything would turn out fine. He didn't get to see Glory in the morning. He hoped she wasn't barfing up from nerves.   
  
All the 6th-year students were excited to finally be able to do magic. Harry wondered if he could get back at Dudley for all the nasty things he had done to him  
  
during his life.   
  
After Dumbledore said a goodbye speech to all the students and staff at Hogwarts, they all parted for the Hogwarts Express. While walking with Joy, Ron and Hermione, he noticed that they weren't heading to the royal cars.  
  
"Why aren't we using the royal cars?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yeah, why aren't we?" asked Ron.  
  
"It's the last day of my 6th year," stated Joy. "I want to be with everybody, although I do kind of want a private booth with you, Ron, for at least part of the trip."  
  
"Hey, I'm up to that!" said Ron smiling.  
  
"Is Glory going to be in her private car?" asked Hermione.  
  
"No, she's going to be with us too. I wonder where she - Oh, there she is!"  
  
Harry looked in the far distance to see Glory and her four friends trying to catch up to them. When they finally caught up to them, they talk a deep breath from running.  
  
"We were trying to call you!" said Glory, panting. "We were waving and screaming out your names but you didn't look back!"  
  
"Sorry, we didn't hear you," said Joy. "It's hard to hear anyone from far away. Are you sitting with us?"  
  
"Of course we are," said Tiffany. "Glory wants to share a private booth with Harry though."  
  
"Would that be all right?" asked Glory to Harry.  
  
"That would be wonderful!" said Harry, giving Glory a peck on the cheek.  
  
"Come on, let's go!" said Ruth.   
  
All of them entered the Hogwarts Express and took their seats. Hermione and the four Ravenclaw girls took a booth, while Ron and Joy and Glory and Harry took their private booths. Glory and Harry closed the door to the booth and sat opposite each other.  
  
"Who's going to be picking you up from the train station?" asked Glory.  
  
"It's probably going to be the Dursleys," said Harry, "but I'm not too sure if Remus will be there. And you?"  
  
"My mother is going to be there with one of our chauffeurs," stated Glory.  
  
"One of your chauffeurs?" questioned Harry. "You have more than one?"  
  
"Of course I do! So the Dursleys are Muggles, right?"  
  
"Yeah, they're Muggles. They're not too fond of magic. I hope they don't say anything bad about you. They have a tendency to think 'our kind' is weird."  
  
"Don't worry, I have a way with talking to Muggles," said Glory in a smirk.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Let's just say I know their interest in money."  
  
Glory winked at Harry mischievously, and he couldn't stop but feel attracted to her.  
  
"You learned a bit of sly things when you dated Malfoy, didn't you?"  
  
"Actually, I did, but I don't have to learn from a Malfoy to be slick."  
  
"I'm learning something new about you every day, aren't I?" chuckled Harry.  
  
"Same here. I feel like I'll never know myself completely."  
  
"I feel that way too. Are you happy that the summer's here?"  
  
"Yes, of course! I can't wait for the International Duelling Championship, which is in mid-August. They didn't hold the event last year, because of the war. I'm so excited! What about you?"  
  
"I'm happy to be home and to get a break from schoolwork. The summer's a bit more enjoyable without the Dursleys being so horrible to me. Even so, I will finally be able to do magic! What about the meeting? Are you nervous?"  
  
"What? Meeting? That?" questioned Glory in a tense and shocked tone. "Uhm... I suppose... Ah, who am I kidding? I'm freaked out!"  
  
Glory gripped onto the armrest of her seat, and squeezed it with all her might.  
  
"Glory, you're going to be fine! Joy even told us that more than 3/4 of the Ministries are voting to keep you two."  
  
"What if they do decide not to have the Monarchy?" questioned Glory. "What if they decide not to have us as Queens? I'd have to rebuild my whole entire life! What am I going to do with my powers? Are they going to take them away from me somehow?"  
  
"You're acting ridiculous. Everything will be fine, and no matter what, I'll be there for you." Harry took Glory's hand and held it in his own. "I'll be there by your side no matter what."  
  
"By the way, I've been meaning to talk to you about that," said Glory. "If I do become Queen and we end up wanting to get married, we'll have to decide if we want to get married before or after the coronation. If we get married before - "  
  
"Don't worry so soon! I think Joy might have explained something to me about that. I, personally, would like to get married after the coronation. It would be too soon to get married before."  
  
"That's exactly what I thought," said Glory. "Is talking about this making you uncomfortable?"  
  
"No, not really. It isn't something you usually talk with your girlfriend or boyfriend of two days, but I understand you have to talk about it."  
  
"Thanks for understand," said Glory, grinning. "I'm really happy we understand each other on a lot of things. Like Lord Voldemort, for example!"  
  
"Oh, I forgot to tell you something when we were talking in the Infirmary," said Harry. "Do you remember when you asked me what Voldemort thought of you?"  
  
"Yes, I remember."  
  
"Well, he was giving you a lot of compliments about how smart you are, and that you seemed a lot more powerful than your sister. He also said you were kind of beautiful... and charming... The point is, it sounded as if he had a crush on you."  
  
Glory gasped, her jaw dropped and she looked completely stunned. She put her hand to her mouth.  
  
"No... It couldn't, could it? But he... It's just... Oh that's just so disgusting! I mean... he... liking... me... It's just nonsense... I feel like I'm going to be sick!"  
  
"It sounds really gross, doesn't it? I thought it was kind of funny. He got really mad when I told him that. Ha!"  
  
"It's not funny," grumbled Glory, trying to keep herself from vomiting.  
  
"Do you want to see what the others are doing?" asked Harry.  
  
"Fine, it'll take my mind off that... 'disturbing' news."  
  
Harry and Glory walked over to where Joy and Ron's booth was, and opened the closed door. They found both of them kissing and hugging in the booth, and once the compartment doors were opened, the two jumped from the surprise. They quickly stopped kissing and sat straight in there seats.  
  
"I can see you two are having fun in here," chuckled Harry.  
  
"Yeah... uh... maybe," said Ron. Joy quickly tried to change the subject.  
  
"So, do you want to see what the others are doing?"  
  
"Whatever," said Glory, as they went over to the booth where Hermione, Vicky, Ruth, Tiffany and Lucy were. They all managed to find an extra-large booth and seated themselves there. They enjoyed themselves in each other's company and had a good time along their journey.  
  
After a long while, the train stopped at Kings Cross Station. All the students got out of the train, retrieved their luggage and met their parents or guardians on the platform.   
  
Harry and Glory got out of the train and stepped onto the platform (their luggage was in their BCBs). Wizards and witches were pointing and waving at the couple, who were astonished to see them together that way. While walking on Platform 9 3/4, Harry spotted Remus who was waiting for him. Remus spotted Harry as well and ran over to him.  
  
"Harry, I'm glad you're here!" exclaimed Remus. "I decided to meet you when you got off - Princess Glory! It's such a pleasure to meet you."  
  
Remus quickly bowed to her so low that his nose touched the floor.  
  
"Thank you for the kind greeting," said Glory.  
  
"It was my pleasure, Princess. What brings you here with Harry?"  
  
"Sorry, Remus, I forgot to tell you," said Harry. "Glory and I have started dating."  
  
Remus had a sudden glorious and shocked expression on his face.  
  
"You two? Together? That's wonderful, Harry! But, what about Cho?"  
  
"She's a slime ball," stated Harry. "She was using me. I found out that she wanted someone to talk about her previous boyfriend, Cedric, and someone to date so she wouldn't be bored on those 'lonely Saturday nights'."  
  
"Harry, I'm so sorry that happened to you," sighed Remus. "Nonetheless, you now have a better girlfriend. How long have you been dating?"  
  
"Our first date was yesterday," said Glory.  
  
"But I'm still deeply in love with her," sighed Harry.  
  
"You two make such a sweet couple! Harry, do you think I can drive you to that huge meeting with the Ministries tomorrow?"  
  
"I'll have to ask the Dursleys," said Harry. "They're becoming accustom to magic. Glory, are Muggles allowed at the meeting?"  
  
"Only if they're accompanied by a wizard or witch," stated Glory.  
  
"That settles it," said Remus. "All you need now are the Dursleys' permission. Come on, we should go through the barrier."  
  
The three of them walked through the barrier into the Muggle platform between Platform 9 and Platform 10. Harry looked straight ahead and saw the Dursleys approaching the platform. Uncle Vernon was making quick looks everywhere he went. They finally met up with Harry, Remus and Glory.  
  
"Hello, Harry," said Aunt Petunia warmly.  
  
"Yeah, hi!" said Vernon bluntly. "Hello, Remus. He - and who are you?"  
  
The Dursleys looked oddly at Glory, not knowing who she was. Even so, Dudley (who was regaining his wrestling physique) had a different expression on his face. His eyes were fixed on the Princess, his mouth was open and he looked completely love-stricken.  
  
"She's beautiful," sighed Dudley.  
  
"Dudley, behave yourself!" said Vernon, slapping him on the back of the head. "Excuse me, young lady, but who are you?"  
  
"I'm Glory," she said, shaking Uncle Vernon's hand with a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you."  
  
"I assume it's a pleasure to meet you too," said Uncle Vernon.  
  
"Hello, dear," said Aunt Petunia kindly. "Are you Harry's friend?"  
  
"Actually, I'm his girlfriend."  
  
"You lucky boy!" exclaimed Dudley enviously.  
  
"Dudley, act proper!" said Vernon, giving him anther smack on the head. "Glory's the name, is it? It's a bit odd."  
  
"It's actually Princess Glory," stated Remus. "One of the most powerful witches in the wizarding world. She'll be crowned when she's 18 years old with her twin sister."  
  
Aunt Petunia gasped at the new information.  
  
"A Princess? Lily used to talk about Magic Royalty. I can't believe I'm standing in front of one."  
  
"Your gorgeous girlfriend has a twin sister?" enquired Dudley. "There's two of them?"  
  
"They're fraternal," said Harry.  
  
"You mean your kind has a monarchy?" questioned Vernon, looking a bit disgusted.  
  
"Darling, I need to speak to you," said Petunia.   
  
She whispered into Vernon's ear about Princess Glory and the Monarchy for a while. At the beginning, Vernon had a disgusted look on his face. Afterwards, he started to have a shocked and intrigued expression. After Harry heard Petunia say the word 'filthy rich' and 'gigantic palace', Vernon seemed dazed and excited.  
  
"I'm so sorry for what I said, Your Royal Highness," apologized Vernon, shaking her hand vigorously. "I never knew. Are you really filthy rich?"  
  
"Yes, absolutely."  
  
"And you live in a palace I suppose. How big is it?"  
  
"Mr. Dursley, have you seen Buckingham Palace?" asked Glory.  
  
"Yes, many times."  
  
"My home palace in Rome is at least 5 times bigger than that."  
  
Uncle Vernon looked as if he was going to faint.  
  
"Five times bigger?" he gasped.  
  
"Ah yes. It's almost as big as Versailles. I also have at least one castle or palace in each country."  
  
"My goodness. I never knew your kind could be so filthy rich."  
  
"Aunt Petunia," said Harry, "I wanted to ask you if Remus could bring me to this huge meeting tomorrow. It takes place in London."  
  
"Of course," said Aunt Petunia. "Would you like me to come?"  
  
Harry was stunned at the suggestion, but agreed to it even so.  
  
"Sure," answered Harry. "Since Dumbledore wants you protecting me and everything, it would be all right for you to come. So Remus, are you going to pick us up?"  
  
"Actually, I was wondering if my sister and I can pick you all up," suggested Glory. "We'll use our Muggle limo."  
  
"A limousine?" questioned Uncle Vernon. "You have a limousine?"  
  
"We have a few Muggle vehicles in case we have to go to Muggle-inhabited places. I see my mother over there. I have to go now. Bye!"  
  
"Bye!" said everyone, as they saw her and her sister going into the limousine which their mother was in. The chauffeur drove off into the distance.  
  
"Was that blonde girl her sister?" asked Dudley.  
  
"Yeah, it is."  
  
"Is she single?"  
  
"No, she's dating my best friend, Ron."  
  
"Grr..."  
  
"Harry, we should be going now," said Uncle Vernon. "Come along!"  
  
"Goodbye, Remus!" said Harry, as he sat in the Dursley's car as they drove off out of London and all the way to #4 Privet Drive.  
  
*****  
  
"That's them, isn't it?" asked Uncle Vernon, as a black limousine pulled into the front of their house.  
  
"I suppose so," said Aunt Petunia, who had dressed very nicely for the occasion. "Look, that girl and her sister are coming out of the limo."  
  
Their chauffeur had opened the car door, and both Princesses came out of the limo and went to the Dursleys' front door. They were dressed in Muggle clothes; Joy was wearing a pink silk top with butterfly sleeves, a denim mini-skirt and stiletto shoes while Glory was wearing a thin, red sleeveless turtleneck with white capries, her cross necklace and her usual black boots.   
  
Joy rang the doorbell, as Dudley rushed to get it and opened the door.  
  
"Hello!" said Joy with her famous smile. "We're here to pick up Harry. Are you his cousin?"  
  
"I - I... I uh... I - "  
  
"I'm here!" said Harry as he rushed to the door. He was wearing his dark blue dress robe. "Is it okay if I'm wearing a dress robe? I don't have many wizard robes."  
  
"Almost everyone there will be wearing dress robes," said Glory, "so you don't have to worry."  
  
"I wish we could wear Muggle clothes all the time," said Joy. "I love dressing up in them. There's so many clothes to chose from: shirts, t-shirts, sweaters, jeans, skirts, pants, mini-skirts, dresses - "  
  
"We get the point," said Glory. "Is your aunt ready?"  
  
"Yes, I'm ready!" said Aunt Petunia as she went to the door. "We're all set."  
  
"Great!" said Joy. "We can go in the limo now. Bye, Harry's cousin!"  
  
"Bye!" said Dudley, waving shyly. Aunt Petunia, Harry and the Princesses went to the limo. Just as the chauffeur opened the door, Mrs. Figgs came out of her house.  
  
"Hello, Harry!" she called out. "Why - MY GOODNESS! IT'S THE PRINCESSES!"  
  
"Hello, Mrs. Figgs," said Harry. "Yes, these are the Princesses."  
  
Mrs. Figgs walked over to where they were with an excited look on her face, as if she won the lottery.  
  
"It's a pleasure to see you both," she said, as she curtsied graciously.  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you too," said Glory, as Joy and her shook her hand.  
  
"I cannot believe I shook the hand of the Princesses!" said Mrs. Figgs. "My name is Arabella Figgs. I'm a Squib, but I know all about you two!"  
  
"Were you going to the meeting of the Ministries of Magic?" asked Joy curiously.  
  
"Dear no," said Mrs. Figgs. "However, I was thinking of maybe take the Knight Bus."  
  
"Would you like a ride with us?" asked Glory.  
  
"In the limousine? It would be a pleasure!"  
  
Mrs. Figgs got into the limo, following Aunt Petunia, Harry and then Joy and Glory last. All of them settled in and buckled up. Harry looked around at the white-leather seats, carpet, mini-bar and TV screen. He had never been in a limo before. The chauffeur turned on the vehicle, and in a few seconds the limo was already moving.  
  
"The inside of this limousine looks wonderful," said Aunt Petunia, marvelling at it.  
  
"Why thank you," said Joy.   
  
"Aren't your parents coming?" asked Harry.  
  
"They're going in another limousine," said Glory. "They have to arrive earlier than we do."  
  
"Does anyone want drinks?" asked Joy.  
  
"I'll have a Butterbeer," said Harry.  
  
"Coming right up!"  
  
Joy took out her wand that was sitting at the side and waved it. On the tiny counter of the mini-bar appeared a bottle of Butterbeer.   
  
"Here you go," she said, handing the bottle over to Harry. "Does anyone else want a drink?"  
  
"Is it possible if I had a cup of tea?" asked Aunt Petunia.  
  
"Of course!"  
  
Joy waved her wand again and a cup of tea appeared on the counter top. Joy kindly handed it to Aunt Petunia, who looked at the cup of tea as if it was going to bite her if she touched it a certain way.   
  
"Would you like anything, Mrs. Figgs?"  
  
"Me? Well, I would love a cup of tea as well."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Joy conjured up another cup of tea and handed it to Mrs. Figgs.  
  
"Using magic is way easier than using the mini-bar," stated Glory, as Joy was conjuring herself up a Butterbeer.  
  
"Since I have my wand out, do you want a drink, Glory?"  
  
"No, I don't feel thirsty right now," said Glory.  
  
"Your Royal Highness, you have such a beautiful wand!" said Mrs. Figgs, as she looked at the magnificently-crafted magic tool.  
  
"Thank you! Would you like to look at it?"  
  
"I could? That would be marvellous."  
  
Joy handed over the wand to Mrs. Figgs, and she examined it thoroughly. Aunt Petunia noticed the wand too and couldn't take her eyes off it.  
  
"Is that wand made of gold?" asked Aunt Petunia.  
  
"Yes, it is."  
  
"I've never seen something more extravagant," said Petunia.  
  
"I do agree!" said Mrs. Figgs. "Princesses, shouldn't you be in your dress robes?"  
  
"Oh, we almost forgot about those!" said Glory.   
  
Glory took out her wand and waved it around herself and her sister. Suddenly, their Muggles clothes changed into beautiful dress robes. Joy was wearing a nice pink dress robe with purple sleeves, a purple hem at the bottom, a strip of embroidery around the waist and a V-neck collar. Glory wore a light blue dress robe with a hem of dark blue around the edges, a strip of dark blue down the front of the robe and a small v-neck ending with a large embroidered button at the tip. She was still wearing her necklace. Their Muggle clothes appeared and were folded up next to them.  
  
"You both look beautiful!" declared Mrs. Figgs.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"You'll outshine everyone in the room," said Harry, as he winked at Glory. Her cheeks turned red.  
  
"Glory, we forgot about our tiaras and rings!" remarked Joy.   
  
From a little cupboard next to the mini-bar, Joy pulled out a mahogany box with a combination lock. After turning it several times, the chest opened, uncovering two jewelled tiaras and their large ceremonial rings. Everyone in the limo looked at the rings and tiaras as the girls helped each other put them on.  
  
"You look stunning!" said Aunt Petunia.  
  
"Thank you," said Glory.   
  
"Dear, is that the necklace?" remarked Mrs. Figgs, as she pointed to Glory's cross necklace. "May I?"  
  
"All right."  
  
Mrs. Figgs gently touched the cross and examined it. She turned it over and looked at the miniature and quote at the back.  
  
"I remember hearing about this necklace you always wear. Your late godmother gave it to you before she died, didn't she?"  
  
"Yes she did," sighed Glory. Harry could see by the look on her face that the mention of her godmother made her depressed.   
  
"Was she Princess Joy's godmother too?" asked Harry.  
  
"No, we have different godparents," said Joy.  
  
"She was a wonderful woman, and a wonderful Minister for Magic," sighed Mrs. Figgs. "No one talked bad about her. I was deeply sad when she died."  
  
"I was too," mumbled Glory.  
  
"I've never seen anything like it," said Aunt Petunia, glaring at the cross.  
  
Harry could tell that Glory didn't exactly like the attention she was getting with her necklace. To her, the necklace wasn't something gorgeous, but something sacred that her deceased godmother had given her.  
  
"Are we going to pick up Remus?" asked Harry.  
  
"We're going to drop by his house to pick him up right before we head to the meeting," said Joy.  
  
It was a long drive to London, although Harry quite enjoyed himself. Afterwards, Harry changed his seat so he could sit next to Glory. During most of the ride, she clutched her necklace and clutched onto the armrest near her, looking quite tense. Joy, on the other hand, looked a bit nervous but was feeling more relaxed.   
  
After a very long drive, they finally arrived at Remus' house. They parked in front of his house, as Remus was locking his front door (in his dress robe). The chauffeur opened the door and Remus entered the limo.  
  
"Hello, everyone!" he said. "Is everyone ready for the Meeting of Ministries?"  
  
"Uhm... I'm not too sure," mumbled Glory.  
  
"Don't worry, you'll be all right! They've got to realize how wonderful you two are."  
  
Both Princesses blushed at the comment. Remus sat next to Harry and buckled himself in, as the limo started to drive to their destination.  
  
"Hello, Remus," said Aunt Petunia shyly. "It's a pleasure to meet you again."  
  
"A pleasure to meet you two. Your Royal Highnesses, you look lovely!"  
  
"Thank you," they said together.  
  
"Remus, I forgot to ask you about that girl Julia you were dating," said Harry. "How's your relationship going?"  
  
"We broke up," said Remus sadly. "We had a bit of problems with me being a werewolf and all."  
  
"A werewolf?" gasped Aunt Petunia.  
  
"Yeah, I'm a werewolf. Don't worry, it's weeks until the next full moon."  
  
Aunt Petunia looked very appalled at Remus and turned back to her conversation with Mrs. Figgs.  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that," said Harry.  
  
"It's all right. It was a great experience though. I hadn't dated in years. Even though it didn't work out, I'm glad dated her."  
  
Harry was also glad that Remus was happy. They talked a while during their journey, until the limo stopped. The chauffeur opened the door and they all came out of the limo, and Harry was surprised to see what he saw.  
  
All of them walked into a tiny old neighbourhood, but it wasn't uninhabited at all. There were witches and wizards in dress robes, cloaks and even Muggle clothes everywhere. Harry could tell it was a wizard neighbourhood. There was a long, red carpet with many reporters and photographers on each side of it. Harry could see in the far distance that there was some kind of small building that everyone was going into.  
  
"Come on, Harry!" said Glory, as she led him onto the red carpet. "Listen, I've got to do some interviews with The Daily Prophet and a bunch of other magazines and newspapers. Is it okay if Remus leads you into the Ministries of Magic Council Auditorium?"  
  
"Sure," agreed Harry, as Glory kissed him on the cheek (many cameras were flashing at the kiss).  
  
"Let's go, Harry!" said Remus.  
  
With Remus leading him, Mrs. Figgs one step behind him and Aunt Petunia holding onto his shoulder, Harry walked down the red carpet as very many witches and wizards called out his name. The red carpet led to a dark place between two large buildings. Straight ahead was a low, cement building with very many doors. It looked a bit like a long, grey rectangle. Stretched out on a poster in big letters on the top read the words, THE MINISTRIES OF MAGIC COUNCIL AUDITORIUM.   
  
Harry and the other adults around him walked into one of the many wooden doors. They went down a marble flight of stairs with red walls and ceiling, and lanterns on the wall which provided a dim light. Harry, Remus, Mrs. Figgs and Aunt Petunia opened a door across a long hallway and entered a gigantic and extraordinary auditorium.  
  
There were rows, rows, rows and more rows of circles of seats in the gigantic auditorium. Each row was more elevated than the next so everyone could easily see what was happening at the bottom. There were blue seats making up all the rows that went around the room, and there were aisles of stairs in various places of the auditorium that divided the blue lines of seats.   
  
At least ten of the rows at the bottom were reserved for the representatives of the Ministries of Magic around the world by alphabetical order, which had long tables that went all around the rows. Harry could see at the table that said, 'ITALY' on a nameplate was Glory and Joy's parents, who were looking extremely nervous. At the table of the Ministry for Magic of the United Kingdom sat Cornelius Fudge, Percy Weasley, Professor Dumbledore and a couple of others. At the very bottom was a circular platform with two thrones and long table on one side, and a large seat and table on the opposite side with a microphone and a nameplate that said: 'SPEAKER'.   
  
Harry looked up at the ceiling, and saw a large painting of a phoenix holding the world on its shoulders, with the words, 'THE MINISTRIES OF MAGIC COUNCIL AUDITORIUM' painted magnificently on the dome ceiling.   
  
"Harry! Harry, over here!" shouted a familiar voice.  
  
Harry looked around him and spotted Ron Weasley waving his hands. Ron was with all the other Weasley members (except for Percy) and Hermione and her family, who were sitting in a row that was a lot closer to the platform than all the other rows.  
  
"Hi, Ron!" shouted Harry back.  
  
"Over here! We saved seats for you!"  
  
"Remus, I found seats," said Harry.   
  
Harry led everyone accompanying him to where Ron was, who was wearing the green dress robe Harry gave him. They all got a warm welcome from the Weasley gang and the Grangers. All of them seated themselves in the empty seats the Weasleys saved for them. Harry sat between Aunt Petunia and Ron Weasley.  
  
"So Harry, you're dating Princess Glory?" asked Mr. Weasley.  
  
"Yes I am, but we haven't been going out for long."  
  
"Ron told us all about it," said Mrs. Weasley smiling. "They're such nice girls."  
  
"We never thought our Ron would get hooked up with a filthy rich babe like that!" snickered Fred.  
  
"We're still trying to find out how he got a date with her," said George.  
  
"Fred! George! That's very rude to talk that way about your brother!" scolded Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"We're sorry, Mum, but it's true!"   
  
"We kind of expected it from Harry," admitted George. "Quidditch player, You-Know-Who defeater and everything, he's a heartthrob!"  
  
Harry blushed at the comment. He was quite flattered at the thought of being a heartthrob.  
  
"Well, he did make Ginny fall in love with him."  
  
"Leave me out of it!" shouted Ginny angrily.  
  
"Ron must have picked up something from us!"  
  
"Our Ron, growing up!"  
  
"And to think, he might be King!"  
  
"Royalty in our family!"  
  
"We'd have to bow down to him - "  
  
"- that's not going to happen - "  
  
"- but we'd gladly bow down to his Queen! - "  
  
" - what a Queen - "  
  
" - the most beautiful Queen - "  
  
"Why don't you both just face it?" said Harry. "You don't have a chance with any of the Princesses!"  
  
"We can dream, can't we!" pouted Fred.  
  
"They are two years younger than us," admitted George.  
  
"Love is ageless!"  
  
"It's blind too."  
  
"That's probably why Ron's with Princess Joy."  
  
"Weasley is our King, Weasley is our King..." sang the both of them.  
  
"WOULD YOU SHUT UP?!?!" shouted Ron, as he let out a long and angry sigh afterwards. He was looking rather tense and nervous.  
  
"Ron, what's wrong?" asked Harry.  
  
"I'm just a bit worried about Joy," sighed Ron. "What if the Ministries do something unexpected?"  
  
"Ron, you know Cornelius Fudge, Professor Dumbledore and Glory's father are going to make sure nothing goes wrong. They'll be fine!"  
  
"I heard you came here with Joy and Glory," said Ron. "How were they?"  
  
"Glory was getting really tense," said Harry. "Joy was more relaxed."  
  
"It's good to know she's not as nervous as I am," said Ron.   
  
Harry wondered if what Ron thought was true. He kept on saying that Glory and Joy were going to be fine, but were they? New thoughts ran into his head, and his stomach started to twist in a knot.   
  
"Isn't this a magnificent place?" enquired Hermione, looking everywhere interestingly. "It's so large."  
  
"Thanks, Hermione, we didn't notice that!" joked Ron sarcastically.  
  
"How rude!" puffed Hermione, turning her head from Ron.  
  
Aunt Petunia, looking at everything curiously, tapped Harry on the shoulder.  
  
"Dear, where are we exactly?" asked Aunt Petunia. "This place looks very...  
  
odd."  
  
"It's called the 'Ministries of Magic Council Auditorium'," explained Harry. "This is where all the wizarding governments from each country come together to discuss topics. It's almost like the United Nations."  
  
"That explains the strange wizard men and women at tables with nameplates that say countries on them. What are they going to discuss?"  
  
"They're discussing if they should keep the Monarchy of Magic," stated Harry. "They're debating whether they should have Princesses Glory and Joy as royalty."  
  
"That's horrible!" said Aunt Petunia. "They seem like such nice girls. It seems very sad to strip them of their powers."  
  
"Aunt Petunia, how do you know about the Monarchy of Magic?"  
  
"Your mother used to tell me about it," stated Aunt Petunia. "She read me excerpts from her strange history books about how rich and powerful they were. She was in love with how wonderful it sounded. It was probably the only thing I found interesting. It seemed almost like a fairy tale." Aunt Petunia cleared her throat and spoke a bit uncomfortably. "Your mother would have been proud to see you with that Princess Glory girl."  
  
Harry was really happy to hear that. He wondered if his father or Sirius would be happy for him too. It was so strange that him and Glory only had one date, yet it felt they   
  
were dating longer than that. Harry was very glad Aunt Petunia came with him. She was becoming a lot more motherly than he ever expected.  
  
After a while, Glory and Joy took their seats in the large thrones on the platform. Two pages brought them glasses of water which they gladly accepted. Joy took a sip of her glass, but Glory put it aside. A tall bald man with a long nose and spectacles who was wearing a long black robe and carrying a briefcase, making him resemble a judge, approached the platform. He sat at the Speaker's seat, opened his case and laid out a few portfolios and papers on the table. Once everyone was seated and he was ready to begin, the speaker tapped on the microphone lightly, cleared his throat and spoke into it.  
  
"May I have your attention please?" called the Speaker. Not many people were listening to them, since there were still a few wizards and witches talking. "Excuse me, but may I have your attention please?" Yet again, they would not listen to him. He was getting a bit irritated. "May you please stop talking?" he questioned loudly. He was very angry now. "SILENCE!!!"  
  
All the talking in the auditorium screech to a halt and the large room became amazingly quiet.  
  
"Thank you," said the bald man. "We have called a meeting today of the Ministries of Magic in this Council Auditorium to discuss the issue at hand: the Monarchy of Magic and their place in the future. I welcome everyone who has come to see the meeting or has come to participate. This is the last meeting to debate the issue and the decision will be made at the end of the meeting, which will last about 2 hours. I, Henry Wifnot, am the Speaker and will be conducting the speeches and arguments. If   
  
you want to speak in the debate, please tap your wand on the mechanism on your table, which includes a light-bulb and microphone, that will turn on when you will be able to  
  
speak.  
  
"We may begin right now. Does anyone have an argument to start with for the debate?"  
  
Harry saw at the table of the Ministry of Magic for Germany, that the Minister, a tall wizard with a pointy nose wearing a dress robe and a matching long hat, tapped his wand on the mechanism to speak. The light-bulb lit up with a bell noise.  
  
"Yes?" asked Henry Wifnot. "What is your argument, Mr. Hisburg?"  
  
"As one of the Ministers against the Monarchy, I would like to address the topic further of the riches of the Monarchy of Magic," snickered the Minister. "As you can see, the Princesses are finely dressed in garments that completely outshine everyone else. And their jewels? Just look at their rings! I bet if you piled all their jewels together they could fill up this auditorium. It's disgusting how these girls bathe themselves in luxury and wealth while others are striving to live off of what they've got. I am not paying enormous amounts of taxes just so they can have matching necklaces and earrings to go with their gigantic rings."  
  
Harry was disgusted at what Mr. Hisburg said. Harry glared at the expressions on Glory and Joy's faces, and their expressions were both very serious and stern-looking. Dumbledore tapped the light-bulb, which rang and lit up.   
  
"Yes, Mr. Dumbledore, you may speak your case."  
  
"I would like to make a defending statement for what the Minister for Germany has just spoken off. If anyone has noticed the true jobs of these young girls, they would understand that they do not bask in the taxes that we pay, nor are they the lazy aristocrats we claim they are. They are involved in many different things. Glory helps out with medical and scientific research, and has created countless inventions and potions over the years. Joy has also create various beauty lines and environmental-cleaning inventions. They do many countless things that make them rich, despite that they are the Princesses of Magic.   
  
"The truth is, they don't even use the taxes that we pay for their personal needs.  
  
Those taxes are used to restore palaces, and major landmarks dedicated or not dedicated to them or previous Monarchs. They are not bathing themselves in luxury and wealth that we pay them with taxes, for they've earned it themselves through business and experiments.   
  
"As for the jewellery, weren't all of you at their birthday ball? If you watched them opening their presents, you will see that they received countless jewelled items. You can even ask them about their jewels. Most of their jewels have been presents from their birthdays."  
  
"Is this true, Your Royal Highnesses?" asked Mr. Wifnot. "Most of your jewellery have been gifts from others?"  
  
"Yes indeed," answered Glory. "Only one eighth of our jewels we have bought for ourselves."  
  
"I rest my case," said Dumbledore, as he sat down.  
  
Most of the debates went that way. It looked like many Ministries of Magic were for the Monarchy than against it. At the end of the nerve-wrecking discussions, the Speaker cleared his throat to state the result of all the discussions.  
  
"After many meetings of discussion by all the Ministries of Magic, we have come to an agreement for the future of the Monarchy. We have realized after countless debates, that the Monarchy of Magic wasn't what we all thought it was, and that our Monarchy is a lot more sincere, hardworking and loving to its subjects than we thought. These two girls were blessed with extraordinary powers and talents that none of us should abuse. Their characters and talents shine brightly among us, and it is our blessing as well that they may be leaders to the country in a few years time. Our nations and governments wouldn't be the same if we didn't have such wonderful witches leading us.   
  
"We've also seen during the war of last summer that we can count on them to lead us all to victory from the harmful Dark Arts. They also love and protect their subjects as much as they can, which was proved at Hogwarts a few days ago. We are all truly happy that we can have such beings in our governments.   
  
"After explaining this, I, with the help of all the Ministers, have made a decision that is in this yellow envelope," said the Speaker, lifting up a sealed envelope. Harry's heart raced like mad. It's time to see what's going to happen to them both, thought Harry. Please let it be good. The Speaker opened the envelope. "The decision is... that we will keep our tradition of the Monarchy."  
  
A roar of cheers echoed in the large council auditorium as many people hugged each other in happiness. Glory and Joy looked extremely relieved and hugged each other. Harry was too happy for words, and he couldn't believe the wonderful words the Speaker said.  
  
"Harry, they're keeping the Monarchy!" shouted Ron.   
  
Harry stood up and hugged his best friend, and he hugged the Weasleys, Hermione, Aunt Petunia, Remus and Mrs. Figgs. He was jumping up and down with excitement. The Speaker cleared his throat again.  
  
"This is all for the Meeting of Ministries," said the Speaker.  
  
Harry looked at the Minister of Germany who was in a furious rage. Everyone gathered up their things to leave.  
  
"Aunt Petunia, is it all right if I go to see Glory?" asked Harry.  
  
"Yes, of course."  
  
"Ron! Hermione! Do you want to come with me to see Joy and Glory?"  
  
"Sure!" they both said.   
  
All three of them went down the aisle closest to them and went through a door where a lot of the representatives were leaving. Trying to find their way through the crowd, Harry finally spotted Glory and Joy who were crying with happiness. Harry dragged his friends over to where Glory and Joy were. Glory and Joy noticed they were there and were so happy to see them.  
  
"I can't believe you're here!" said Joy, who was hugging Ron, Hermione and finally Harry.  
  
"My goodness, you will not believe how happy I am to get that weight off  
  
shoulders!" said Glory.  
  
"We're so happy for you!" said Hermione. "You're both going to make wonderful Queens."  
  
"Thank you," they both said.  
  
"We were thinking of inviting all our friends over to the palace for the summer," said Joy. "We're so happy about it that we just wanted to celebrate."  
  
"That would be great," said Hermione.  
  
"Your palace?" gasped Ron. "We'll be able to visit your palace?"  
  
"You and your families," added Glory. "You could stay there with us for 2 weeks or so. Harry, we could have your birthday at the palace!"  
  
"That would be awesome," said Harry, as he dreamed of his birthday being at their gorgeous castle.  
  
"Harry! Harry Potter!" called Cornelius Fudge, who was pushing his way through the crowd, and finally got to Harry.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Fudge," greeted Harry.  
  
"Hello, and hello to everyone else! Princess Glory and Princess Joy, everyone in the Ministry is happy for your success!"  
  
"Thank you," said Joy.  
  
"We appreciate it," thanked Glory.  
  
"Harry, I need to speak to you in my office. Would it be all right for you to come at 4 o'clock to the Ministry of Magic?"  
  
"I guess so."  
  
"Good. It would be nice if Remus Lupin was there with you. It concerns him too. Well, I'll see you there!"  
  
He went off out the door with his other representatives. Remus came down to the platform and went to Harry.  
  
"Harry, what was that all about?" asked Remus.  
  
"Cornelius Fudge wants you and I to go to the Ministry in his office at 4 o'clock."  
  
"What is it for?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Do you want us to drive you there?" asked Glory.  
  
"If it's all right with his aunt, you can drive us to my house. We'll wait until 4 o'clock and then I'll drive Harry to the Ministry."  
  
"Sure," said Glory. "We'll meet you in the limo."  
  
"Bye!" said Joy, as Glory and her sped off through the door and into the crowd of wizards and witches.   
  
"Good luck on that, Harry!" said Hermione.  
  
"Yeah, we don't want you getting in any more trouble with the Ministry," told Ron sarcastically.  
  
"I appreciate it," thanked Harry. "I have to go now, I'll see you soon!"  
  
"Bye!"  
  
"Don't forget to write!"  
  
Remus and Harry went up the long aisle of witches and wizards getting out, but they finally made it to where Aunt Petunia and Mrs. Figgs were. They were both very happy.  
  
"Finally, those Ministers have some common sense in their brains," said Mrs. Figgs. "You have to be stupid to not know those girls are great."  
  
"Mrs. Dursley, would it be all right if Harry and I were dropped off at my house in the limo?" asked Remus. "The Minister wants to speak with us. I'll drive Harry back home as soon as possible."  
  
"Did you want me to come, just in case?"  
  
"No, it'll be all right."  
  
"It seems very important," said Aunt Petunia, who looked a bit worried. "Just bring him home safely."  
  
"Thanks, Aunt Petunia!" said Harry.  
  
After saying a last goodbye to the Weasleys and the Grangers, they exited the auditorium and went down the red carpet to the awaiting limo. They hopped inside and waited for Joy and Glory. The two girls struggled to get into the limo with the paparazzi annoying and blocking them. Once the door was closed, the chauffeur drove off out of the old wizard neighbourhood to Remus' house.   
  
The whole entire time, Harry was deep in thought about what the meeting with him and the Minister would be about. Soon enough, the chauffeur dropped both of them off. Everyone said their goodbyes and Glory gave him a warm peck on the chick ('Lucky boy,' mumbled Remus, glaring at Harry with a grin.) Remus unlocked the door and let them both in.  
  
"Do you want some tea, Harry?" asked Remus, heading towards the kitchen.  
  
"Sure," agreed Harry, following him.  
  
They both entered the kitchen. Harry pulled out a chair and sat down at the kitchen table. Remus quickly pulled out a tea kettle and tea bags.  
  
"Do you want scones?" asked Remus.  
  
"Fine."  
  
Remus quickly opened a cupboard, pulled out a container and plate and laid some scones onto the platter. He put them on the kitchen table for Harry to eat.   
  
Remus poured some hot water into the kettle, and then tapped the kettle with his wand to make the kettle boil the water. He laid a couple of cups with tea bags in them, saucers and spoons for the both of them and laid the tea pot on the kitchen table once it had finished boiling the water.  
  
"That was fast," remarked Harry.  
  
"It's how you make tea the magic way. Oh, I forgot creme and sugar!"  
  
With a flicker of his wand and a casting of 'accio sugar and creme cups', the sugar and creme cups appeared onto the center of the table.  
  
"Nice spells," said Harry, as he poured some creme into his tea.  
  
"Thanks. Did Cornelius Fudge tell you anything about what the meeting was about?" he asked, as he poured him some sugar.  
  
"Unfortunately, no. I wish he did. It's driving me nuts just thinking about it."  
  
"It can't be anything serious, can it?" asked Remus. "Did he give you a clue at all about what it's about?"  
  
"He just told me to that he'd like to see you and I in his office at 4 o'clock, and that it concerns us both. He went off into the crowd before I could ask him anything."  
  
"That's too bad," said Remus, taking a few sips of his tea.  
  
"Do you think it's about the Order of the Phoenix?" asked Harry.  
  
"Maybe, but we'll never know until we get there."  
  
"You're right," said Harry, taking a huge bite of a scone.  
  
Harry and Remus waited a while before leaving for the Ministry of Magic. Harry finished his scones and tea very quickly, and he tried to take his mind off of what Mr. Fudge wanted to tell him. His palms started to sweat and he twitched once in a while. Remus asked what was the matter, but he didn't say anything.   
  
He glared at the black cat-clock constantly, as its tale went back and forth. It's 2:30 p.m., read Harry to himself as he glared up at the clock at the wall. He waited a while, and then looked at the clock again. 2: 35, only 5 minutes has passed. He was getting a bit anxious. He thought about what Cornelius Fudge had said to him, and his tone of voice. He seemed a bit concerned, thought Harry. It didn't exactly seem as if I was in trouble. What if I am? Maybe they found out about that car that moved accidentally last summer. No, they took care of that. Would it be about Glory or Joy? Maybe it's about Voldemort... He continued on and on like this, until finally it was time to leave.  
  
"It's 3:30," stated Remus, looking at the clock. "We should get to the Ministry now."  
  
"Will we be going by Floo Powder?" asked Harry.  
  
"No, I'm all out. Instead, we'll drive there."  
  
Harry jumped out of his chair and pulled it in. Remus flicked his wand and the tea pot, cups and spoons cleaned themselves and everything went in the cupboard. They got out of the house and hopped into Remus' Thunderbird. Remus started the car, drove out of the driveway and went on their way to the Ministry. As the wind blew in his messy hair and rattled his glasses, Harry sighed and thought more about what Fudge could say. In no time, they drove into an alley between two large buildings in the heart of London. Making sure no one was watching them, Remus beamed up his car into his BCB and headed passed several street corners to a place that wasn't so crowded and just a bit shabby, where stood the phone booth in bad condition, which was the entrance to the Ministry of Magic.   
  
"Curious entrance, isn't it?" remarked Remus, as he closed the door behind Harry and himself. Remus picked up the receiver and quickly pushed a few buttons on the dial. A female voice spoke out from the telephone box.  
  
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business," said the voice cooly.  
  
"Remus Lupin and Harry Potter," stated Remus. "We're here to meet the Minister of Magic."  
  
"Thank you very much," stated the voice. "Visitors, please take the badges and attack them to the front of your robes."  
  
Two square silver badges spat out of where the coins usually dropped out with a few clinging noises. Remus took them and pinned them both on himself and Harry, which read on Harry's badge, 'Harry Potter, Meeting with the Minister of Magic'.   
  
"Visitors to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."  
  
With a quiver, jolt and clicking sound, the telephone booth lowered itself down in the ground slowly. As the abandoned street of London slowly disappeared into a long shaft, Harry remembered the couple of times he had went to the Ministry last year. After going a few depths under the cement surface of the road, the telephone booth gave another quiver, jolt and clicking sound, and the doors immediately opened to them.  
  
"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day," said the voice inside the telephone box.  
  
Harry looked around at the long, polished-wood hallway with phoenix-blue ceiling of golden runes floating about and walls of many fireplaces with a few wizards or witches emerging from them. A few inter-department memos which looked like paper airplanes zoomed passed Harry. There were a few paintings and potted plants here and there, but what Harry mostly noticed was at the middle of the hallway.  
  
At the centre of the long hallway, there used to be a golden fountain, which had been destroyed that horrible night when Harry and his friends were battling Death Eaters, and when Harry was trying to fight off Voldemort. The statue had been ruined, and now all that stood left were a few funny-shaped pipes and a pit where the fountain used to stand.   
  
He was very interested in the fountain, and was really sad that it was gone. He remembered he had put in a bunch of galleons that would be donated to St. Mungo's Hospital when he found out that all the charges of under-aged magic were cleared from his name. The pit and pipes were surrounded by a small wire-fence which had a sign. Harry looked closely and read the sign, which said: THE FOUNTAIN OF MAGIC BRETHREN THAT WAS DESTROYED LAST YEAR WILL BE RECONSTRUCTED WITH A FEW MINOR ADJUSTMENTS BY MID-JANUARY OF 1998. Harry smiled, glad that the marvellous fountain that had captivated his mind would be restored. He was curious to know what were the minor adjustments.  
  
"Harry, we have to go to the security," said Remus as he nudged Harry. He followed Remus to the security desk where sat the same badly-shaven bored security guard in blue ceiling-coloured robes Harry had seen before, who had kicked up his feet onto the desk and was yawning away. Noticing that two wizards were there, he immediately took his feet off of the desk and straightened himself up.  
  
"I'm with a visitor to meet the Minister, Eric," stated Remus.  
  
Looking closely at Harry's forehead with his watery eyes, he noticed the scar scratched on Harry's forehead.  
  
"You're Harry Potter," observed Eric bluntly. "You've been to the Ministry before, haven't?"  
  
"Yes," answered Harry.  
  
"Please step aside to the left," said the guard.   
  
Harry stood over to the left as the guard passed a golden flexible rod up and down Harry rapidly. The guard bent down and flipped through pipes of impaled narrow papers and ripped off a thin piece of paper.  
  
"Do you still have the eleven-inches, phoenix-feather core wand that's been in use for four years?" asked the security guard.  
  
"It's been in use for 6 years now," stated Harry.  
  
"Please hand me your wand," said Eric, as he crumpled up the paper and flicked it with his wand, which immediately turned into ashes that dropped to the floor.  
  
Harry handed over his wand and the guard slid it onto the brass object of a dish with a set of scales used to detect wands. A slit at the bottom slipped out another piece of parchment which the guard grabbed quickly. He skewed it onto the brass pipes with the rest of the collection and shoved the wand into Harry's hand.   
  
"You may leave."  
  
Remus and Harry walked away from the desk, through the golden gates and into the crowd of workers and visitors into another hallway where there were very many elevators. Harry and his mentor walked in with the crowd of workers and visitors into an elevator, and with a large bang of lift-doors colliding and a ding, it went up slowly, stopping at levels where a few witches, wizards and messages got off at a time, while others went in and joined the crowd scrunched inside the lift.   
  
"Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper   
  
use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, Wizengamot Administration Services and the office of the Minister for Magic," stated the female voice.  
  
"This is the level, Harry," said Remus, as the elevator doors opened, and them, with a few other employees, left the elevator, while a couple of employees walked inside while a flying message zoomed in.  
  
Both of them passed the enchanted windows (showing a bright sky) and went through two large wooden doors, and walked into the large area of many cubicles where all the Aurors worked.   
  
"This is where I work, Harry," declared Remus as he was greeted by many Aurors passing him by, greeting them back as well. "See that booth over there?" Remus pointed to one of the largest cubicles on the left that had many files, photos and maps and a computagram on a nice, large desk.  
  
"Yeah, I see it."  
  
"That's my office. It's one of the nicest at Auror Headquarters."  
  
"You have a computagram?" asked Harry.  
  
"Of course! Most of the higher Aurors have computagrams now."  
  
There was one Auror, a young wizard with black hair with blond near the forehead, who noticed Remus and called after him.  
  
"Mr. Lupin!" called out the Auror, waving his hands. Remus turned back to see who was calling him.  
  
"Jake, how are you?" greeted Remus, as the Auror approached him with a few portfolios in his hands.   
  
"Great," said Jake, taking a deep breath from running up to Remus. "It's your day off, what are you doing here?"   
  
"Harry and I have a meeting with the Minister," stated Remus. "We're not too sure why though."  
  
"Harry? Harry Potter?" questioned Jake, examining the scar on his forehead. With a smile, he shook Harry's hand excitedly. "Very pleased to meet you, Harry Potter. Remus has told me all about you."  
  
"So, did you come up to me to say 'hi' or is there something else you wanted to tell me?" asked Remus.   
  
"Oh yeah!" said Jake, as he pulled out a few yellow portfolios and handing them to Remus. "These are the new files and research of the loose newly-made Death Eaters. I was thinking of giving them to you tomorrow, but you know, since you're here..."  
  
"Thanks, Jake. Harry, it's almost time for our appointment with Mr. Fudge," said Remus, looking at the clock on one of the walls. "We should go."  
  
"Of course," said Harry.  
  
Harry and Remus continued on their journey to find the Minister's office. After passing many hallways, corners and corridors, they found themselves walking down a lovely hallway with paintings and small statuettes here and there, with large wooden doors to the offices of the members of the Wizengamot. At the very end of the corridor was a large wooden door with a brass knob, and in gold letters saying: Office of the Minister for Magic, Mr. Cornelius Fudge. There was a guard in blue robes with an expressionless face in front of the door.  
  
"I guess this is it," said Harry, as they approached the door. The guard quickly blocked their way.  
  
"Are you both Harry Potter and Remus Lupin?" questioned the guard.  
  
"Yes we are," said Harry, as both of them pointed to their badges.  
  
"You may enter," said the guard, stepping aside.  
  
Remus opened the door into a nicely decorated room with a marble floor, orange walls filled with paintings of previous Ministers, potted plants, sculptures and more decor pieces and details. The ceiling was phoenix blue with floating golden signs just like the entrance hall. A desk with a computagram, files, parchments, quills, ink bottles and drawers all nicely filed was in the centre of the room, with a curious little old witch with small spectacles in the chair. She was obviously the secretary. The old lady looked up at them.  
  
"If you're Remus Lupin and Harry Potter, the Minister for Magic is waiting for you in his office," said the secretary, pointing to her left to a wooden door.  
  
"Thank you," said Harry, as they started walking down the hall of previous Ministers for Magic. Harry looked at all the wizards (only two witches unfortunately) who were speaking to each other, debating or sleeping. Right when they were steps away from Mr. Fudge's door, Harry noticed one of the Ministers for Magic, which was the second last painting in the hallway.  
  
It was Glory's godmother, who was reading a book peacefully. Harry remembered the image from the back of Glory's necklace, and the lady looked as sweet and kindred as Glory had told him. Under the painting was the gold label: MILLICENT BAGNOLD. Harry went towards the portrait. She peered up from the book she was reading and put it down.  
  
"Hello!" she said kindly with a warm smile. "And why, you're Harry Potter!"  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"You're dating my goddaughter, aren't you? I heard she was delighted to be dating you."  
  
"I'm really delighted to be dating her too. She's a wonderful girl."  
  
"Oh, I know. Every day I peer from one of my other paintings and I can see she's always making me proud. It's so sad how heartbroken she felt when I died. You're here to see Cornelius Fudge, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes, he told me for Remus and I to come and see him at 4 o'clock."  
  
"Well, I'm sure it's something important. I should let you go now, seeing that it's almost that time. Enjoy your time at the Ministry of Magic."  
  
"I will," said Harry, turning around and smiling to himself. Glory's godmother seemed as nice and as wonderful as she told him. Remus knocked on Fudge's door gently.  
  
"Come in!" said the voice of Mr. Fudge. Remus gently opened the door and he and Harry entered the room.  
  
Cornelius Fudge's office had a marble floor with a nice blue rug that seemed very similar to its ceiling, that also had hovering symbols. It had two large enchanted windows on each side of the large room, and there were bizarre plants and sculptures here and there. He had a few chairs around the room that had phoenix-red walls. There were portraits and paintings of him around the wall, and in the middle of the room was Cornelius Fudge sitting on a nice big chair in a large mahogany desk with many files and parchments, with a few quills and a lovely ink pot.   
  
"Hello, Mr. Potter and Mr. Lupin!" greeted Fudge. "Please sit down!"  
  
Harry and his mentor immediately sat on the two chairs in front of Fudge's desk.  
  
"So, Minister," said Remus, "what is the purpose of this appointment?"  
  
"The purpose is a very important one," said Fudge. "It concerns you both."  
  
Mr. Fudge tucked his chair a bit more into his desk, and loosened the collar of his dress robe.  
  
"How important?" asked Harry.  
  
"Highly important. Unfortunately, we were so preoccupied with the war during the summer and defending the Monarchy that we didn't quite take into account the break-in last year of the Death Eaters and, him..."  
  
"So, you're taking it into account?" asked Remus.  
  
"Indeed, we are. In fact, it has a bit to do with what I need to tell you both. Harry, Remus," said Fudge, nodding at the person of the name he said, "we found the body of Sirius Black."  
  
Author's Note: DUNDUNDA!!!!!! Sweet cliff-hanger, eh? I don't want to be too overconfident, but I'm pretty proud of that cliff-hanger phrase. SO the next chapter's called, "Together Again (Final Goodbyes)". Pretty self-explanatory from the cliff-hanger, but to be completely frank: Harry's going to Sirius' funeral. The next chapter's actually pretty much tragedy/spiritual (actually, it's not pretty much that, it's REALLY in that category). So if you're into that, stay tuned. Oh, and by the way, about that for the Monarchy thing? It may sound cheesy at times, but I am a strong Loyalist to the Queen of England and the Monarchy, so long live the Queen!!!! Oh, and PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	25. Together Again: Final Goodbyes

Chapter 25  
  
Together Again  
  
(Final Goodbyes)  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other things I have said in the other disclaimers. As well, I included a 'wizard priest' and a couple of somewhat Christian ideas about death, so please do not get offended because I know the world of magic and religion don't exactly get along. I included them because I wanted to keep the flow of the chapter, and of course, Harry DOES have a 'godfather'. I also don't know much about the structure of a funeral ceremony, so don't send me flames about it! Also, it might seem to someone that Sirius is treated as if he was a saint and that he was THAT great (he is great, of course, but not all the characters thought this coughs while saying something like 'Professor Snape'). The thing is, a lot of people tend to exclude every bad thing about someone if that certain someone is dead. Wow, that's really long... Keep reading...  
  
Author's Note: Oh my goodness!!! It's the last chapter!!!!!!!!!! (wails and blows nose really hard into a tissue, and then throws tissue on some random person). I worked for practically TWO YEARS on this thing, and now it's finished!!! (wails more and blows nose more into another tissue, and then throws it at another random person who throws it back and swears, and then I swear back and go back to author's note). Anyway, it's the last chapter, SO READ IT AND REVIEW!!! Oh, and NO FLAMES! I absolutely accept constructive criticism, but if you don't have enough manners to not do flames, well, just don't do them! Oh, recap: Harry went to the meeting of the Ministries of Magic, they accepted the Monarchy, Cornelius Fudge told Remus and Harry told they found the body of Sirius Black. Oh, and I will state thank yous to anyone who put it reviews (and when I mean reviews, I mean NO FLAMES). READ AND REVIEW!!!  
  
Harry could not believe the very words Cornelius Fudge had spoken, nor could he feel or think of anything to say or do. He was terribly upset the year before that Sirius never had a funeral, but now, he could maybe have the chance to say goodbye. How did they find his body though? It was behind that mysterious veil. So many questions swirled inside Harry's brain. He glared at Remus beside him, who was stunned.  
  
"H-how d-did they find h-his body?" stuttered Remus, looking astonished and dazed at Cornelius Fudge.  
  
"We received the report of the death of Sirius Black," answered Fudge. "Knowing that he was trying to save Harry and he was against the Death Eaters, we know that he wasn't a criminal like we thought he was for all these years. We later retrieved his body in the Chamber of Death."  
  
"The what?" questioned Harry, who was now trembling from this new information.  
  
"The Chamber of Death, the chamber behind the veil in Courtroom Ten. It's a secret tool used by the Ministry of Magic to kill over-the-top horrible criminals who just won't stop, well, being criminals. It was produced during the term of the second previous Minister, the Minister of Magic before Millicent Bagnold. It was created by a very ancient and powerful spell. Behind that tattered veil is a porthole, which sucks the life and soul out of anyone who falls into it. Charms all around the inside of the porthole are used to destroy the person of the life inside their body. Swirls of Avada Kedavra spells spin around the victim. The porthole also leads to another porthole, which is the Other Side, the Universe of the Dead."  
  
"If it's a porthole to the Other Side, how did they find his body?" asked Harry confusingly.  
  
"Believe it or not, the pit in which the victim drops in is not bottomless. It's not exactly a floor, but it's the edge of the porthole which the body lies on. It's only the life and soul that is taken away, not the body. The corpse is brought up by charms and is laid to rest in a grave. If a body is left there for 5 years, the charms would body the corpse too. Thankfully, we found the body before 5 years were up."  
  
It was hard for Harry to digest the things the Minister was saying to him and Remus. No wonder it had seemed so mysterious, thought Harry. He couldn't imagine what it was like to fall into a porthole that led your soul to the Other Side, and Sirius had to suffer that. What was the Other Side like?  
  
"He's not rotting, is he?" questioned Harry.   
  
He couldn't believe what he had just asked. Of all the many questions he could have asked, he questioned if Sirius' body was rotting. How stupid was he?  
  
"Rotting, what are you talking about?" asked Fudge confusingly. "Lupin, why is this boy talking about 'rotting', as if Sirius Black's body is some kind of decaying vegetable or fruit?"  
  
"He has lived with a Muggle family all his life," explained Remus. "You have to excuse him. Harry, wizards and witches don't rot. Their magic preserves their bodies."  
  
"I - I never knew that," stuttered Harry.   
  
It was strange to think that if he died, he'd never rot. Just thinking about being dead and rotting just made him think of Sirius, and then he suddenly thought of Cedric and his parents...  
  
"Where is Sirius' body being kept?" asked Remus.  
  
"The body was sent to Morty & Son's Mortuary. Here's their card and owl post address," said Fudge, handing Remus and Harry a business card. "You'll have to send them a letter soon to tell them when the funeral will be."  
  
Harry looked down at the card:  
  
Morty & Son's Mortuary  
  
Owl post: Big White Building at the Corner of the Road   
  
1313 Corkview Road  
  
East London Web site: www.morty&sonmortuary.com  
  
We take care of your loved ones with the best care possible.  
  
"Did Sirius Black have any living relatives?" asked Fudge.  
  
"His parents are dead, but he has a lot of cousins," responded Remus. "He didn't really like his cousins. They have a tendency to be stuck-up. They're one of those pureblood families that despise Muggles and Muggle-borns."  
  
"I see," said Fudge. "Maybe they'd like to say goodbye to Sirius Black, you never know. Did you want me to call the London Wizard Graveyard?"  
  
"No, I think Harry and I think it's best to put Sirius in the Godric's Hollow Graveyard next to the graves of Lily and James Potter."  
  
Harry flinched to hear the Remus' response.   
  
"The graves of Lily and James Potter?" questioned Harry. "They have graves?"  
  
"Of course they do!" said Remus. "It's in Godric's Hollow. You never knew?"  
  
"No one told me that!" said Harry angrily. "Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"I thought you knew," said Remus. "Well, it was a bit suspicious that you weren't at the funeral."  
  
"There was a funeral?" questioned Harry. "I never knew there was a funeral!"  
  
"There was, Harry. I didn't know that you never knew. We should be off now. Goodbye, Mr. Fudge!"  
  
"Good day to you both, and I'm very sorry for your loss."  
  
"We appreciate the gratitude," said Remus. "Come on, Harry, we have to go."  
  
"Fine," sighed Harry, as he pulled in his chair and left the room.  
  
They walked out of Fudge's office and down the hall of paintings, while anger and confusion consumed Harry. He couldn't believe that all this time when he thought that his parents were gone without a trace, their graves were there in Godric's Hollow. Why hadn't the Dursleys told him? They lied to him about how his parents died, but why did they have to keep the secret of where they were buried? Harry felt like his whole entire life was empty, that it would have made everything easier to visit their graves. He absolutely hated the Dursleys. He didn't want to go home to them.  
  
"Can't I stay with you instead of going to the Dursleys?" asked Harry, trying to control the tears that he wanted to weep as they passed the Auror Headquarters.  
  
"I'm sorry, Harry. You know that Dumbledore wants you to stay with your mother's sister and her family."  
  
"What, he wants me to stay with them so they can lie to me even more?"  
  
"Harry, it was awful of them to keep this hidden from you. At least you'll be able to see your parents' graves now."  
  
"They didn't even take me to the funeral," murmured Harry. "Even if I was a baby, I could have been there where everyone was saying 'goodbye' to them. It's so unfair! Everyone else got to say goodbye but me, and I'm their son! I hate the Dursleys! I HATE THEM!"  
  
"Harry, you have to calm down."  
  
"Calm down?" said Harry, as he stopped right in front of the elevator where they waited for the elevator doors to open. "How can I calm down? My parents had a funeral and I didn't even attend. They were laid to rest and I wasn't even there! My life seems so empty!"  
  
The elevator doors opened and Harry and Remus joined the crowd of people. Harry leaned in the corner, looking up at the memos flying about.  
  
"You don't know how awful I feel that you didn't get to say a final goodbye to them," told Remus, looking caringly at Harry.   
  
"You don't know how awful I feel!" shouted Harry.  
  
"If I could create a time machine to go back in time to let you be at your parents' funeral, I would."  
  
"But you can't, and there aren't any time machines," muttered Harry. "There aren't and there probably will never be any."  
  
"Harry, please understand!" pleaded Remus.   
  
"You could have written a letter to see how I was doing!"   
  
"I had no idea what the address was," said Remus. "I asked Dumbledore for the address, but he told me that the Dursleys wouldn't accept letters from our kind. It wasn't even a good place for a baby, Harry. There were so many people crying, it was awful."  
  
"Did Sirius go?" asked Harry.  
  
"No, they'd put him in Azkaban by then."  
  
"Wonderful, the person that I could really talk to is dead too!"  
  
"Level Eight, Main Floor," stated the cool female voice.  
  
"This is our stop," said Remus as a chunk of the people walked out of the elevator. Harry, with his arms crossed angrily, and Remus walked through the hallway and into the telephone booth.  
  
"At least you'll finally say goodbye to Sirius," said Remus.  
  
"It's not the same."  
  
"Harry, why are you complaining to me? I've been trying to help you through this, and you keep on shoving your anger into my face. I want to help you!"  
  
"You can't. No one can help me."  
  
The telephone booth rose up into the London street and made a cling once the telephone booth was established into its original place.  
  
"Thank you for visiting the Ministry of Magic, and have a nice day," said the voice.  
  
Remus opened the door for Harry, but Harry completely ignored him and walked out into the street. Remus tried to run after him and followed him into the alleyway. Remus got out his BCB and beamed out the Thunderbird. As Remus gently slid in, Harry opened the door on his side and slammed the car violently. He tried not to look at Remus at all. Remus started the car and drove into the street, on their way to #4 Privet Drive.  
  
"Do we have to go back?" questioned Harry.  
  
"Yes we do," stated Remus. "You know that."  
  
"I want to stay with you, not those creeps who made my life miserable."  
  
"They're trying to fix things up," said Remus.  
  
"They're doing a bad job of it!"  
  
"Why do you want to go to my house anyway? You're obviously mad at me."  
  
"I'm mad at everyone and everything right now!"  
  
"I'm not your punching bag, Harry! I told you in the beginning of the year that you have to control your anger. I know you feel awful and you want to ask questions, but you have to realize that I'm trying to make you feel better! Harry, I'm your mentor. I'm trying to help you out, but you keep pushing me away. All my best friends are dead, including one friend that went to serve Lord Voldemort and helped kill one of my other friends. You're all I've got. I might have friends at the Auror Headquarters, but none like you!"  
  
At that moment, tears started to fall from Remus' eyes and onto his face. For the first time, Remus was crying. Harry couldn't believe that he was making him cry. He felt awful about his behaviour.  
  
"I didn't mean to make you cry," apologized Harry. "I'm just really angry right now."  
  
"I'm trying to understand," said Remus, choking up words with his tears in his face. "It's unfortunate you couldn't be at the funeral, but maybe the Dursleys thought you were too young for a funeral. I couldn't go to funerals until I was 11 years old. They're miserable places, Harry. It's never too late to say goodbye. At least you can say goodbye to your parents when you're old enough to take it. You probably wouldn't have remembered anyway."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"It's okay. You were mad, you needed to let off some steam. You're a teenager, you're going through emotional changes. I should have understood. You've changed a lot from last year."  
  
"I was an angry mess last year."  
  
"Exactly, and now you're handling it a bit better. Look at me, a grown man crying! I can't believe this."  
  
Remus quickly tried to wipe his tears away, and tried to focus on the road.  
  
"It's okay to cry," said Harry. "I cried a bunch of times during this year. I didn't care if anyone thought I was an emotional git or something, I just wanted to cry."  
  
"You're right. Why haven't you cried now?"  
  
"I can't," said Harry, with a sore throat from holding back tears. "I just don't feel like it."  
  
"Don't worry, just cry. It made me feel a bit better."  
  
As if he opened locks of a river, Harry let out his tears. They trickled down his cheeks as the wind blew them to the side. As he wiped away the tears, more came dropping down. After a long while of crying, his throat was a bit sore and his face was cold, but he felt a lot better.  
  
"You feel better?" asked Remus.  
  
"Yeah, my anger's cooling down. I'm just so angry at the Dursleys!"  
  
"They'll explain it to you after, I'm sure. I'd like you to think tonight and tomorrow about who you want to invite to the party, and when the date should be. In a couple of days, I'll pick you up and we'll discuss it. We'll send a letter to the mortuary and we'll have to pick a coffin for Sirius."  
  
"That'll be hard," said Harry.  
  
"I know a wizard priest down in Godric's Hollow," said Remus. "He did the ceremony for your parents too."  
  
"There are wizard priests? I didn't know that."  
  
"What, you think the wizarding world is sacrilegious? We have faiths too, you know. A lot of Muggles think bad about us because of religion. They're thinking about Dark Magic. We're not like that."  
  
"That's good to know."  
  
"I'm going to send letters to people in Sirius' family to see if they want to come. I doubt most of them will come, other than Tonks and all the other cast-out relatives, but I feel like I should. It's like those sayings, 'You wouldn't go but it would be nice to be invited'. I think I should invite them just in case."  
  
"Anybody else you're sure to invite?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but I have a few ideas of who to invite. I'd probably invite the Order of the Phoenix, because they were the last people that knew him. I could invite the Hogwarts professors we knew like Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagoll - "  
  
"You're not going to invite Professor Snape, are you?"  
  
"Actually, I was going to invite him - "  
  
"Sirius hated him! You know that!"  
  
"I know, but Snape might want to say something before he's laid to rest. Is there anyone you would like to invite?"  
  
"I would invite Hermione and Ron," said Harry. "They knew him too. I would like it if Joy and Glory were there - "  
  
"You call them by their first names?"  
  
"Remus, one's one of my best friends and one's my girlfriend. Of course I call them by their first name! To continue, I would like them to be there even though they didn't know Sirius. Glory's my girlfriend, and her godmother died too, so she'd know how it was like."  
  
"You mean Millicent Bagnold? I saw you talking to her portrait at the Ministry. She was a wonderful Minister. She supported the equalization of werewolves, which I really liked about her. Unfortunately, she was already retired when I was bitten.   
  
"It would be an honour if they could be there. Sirius would have been a future subject, so it makes sense. Plus, they know you three who knew Sirius. Their great-great-great-grandfather is, of course, the founder of the Order - "  
  
"Remus, I get the point."  
  
"Oh," said Remus. "I'll stop talking about that now. Did you want to invite the Dursleys? They'd get to visit Lily's and James' graves - "  
  
"Don't even mention their names," interrupted Harry. "After what they did to me, I never want to speak to them again."  
  
"Fine," sighed Remus. "Is there anything else you want to talk about?"  
  
"I guess not," mumbled Harry.   
  
Harry was busy thinking, and trying to realize what was happening. They had found Sirius' body! Yet as the news sunk in, it was hard for him to think if he should be happy for sad. He was still holding back a few extra tears.   
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"I'm sure," denied Harry, as he laid his elbow on the side of the car, as the wind whipped in his face.   
  
After a long drive, they finally arrived in Privet Drive and Remus parallel-parked his convertible in front of the Dursleys driveway. He walked to Harry's side of the car and opened it, yet Harry remained inside with his arms crossed.  
  
"You've got to face them sooner or later," told Remus.  
  
"I'm not going in."  
  
"You're being very stubborn."  
  
"I never got to be stubborn," said Harry. "They always treated me like dirt. I never got to do a lot of things during my childhood, including going to my parents' funeral!"  
  
"You can talk to them about it once you're inside."  
  
"I know what their answer is. They hated my parents and I. Why would they want to go all the way to Godric's Hollow for their funeral, and to bring me along?"  
  
"They might have more reasons," said Remus. "Harry, I have to leave soon. I've got a bunch of Auror files to review."  
  
"Fine," muttered Harry, as he got out of the car and closed the door.   
  
Remus and Harry walked to the entrance and Remus rang the doorbell. Aunt Petunia opened the door and let them in.  
  
"Come in!" she said, with a subtle smile.  
  
Harry and Remus stepped inside. Remus greeted Petunia and shook her hand, while Harry took off his shoes.   
  
"Harry, what was that meeting all about?" asked Petunia.  
  
"I don't want to talk to you!" said Harry angrily, as he ran up the stairs into his room.  
  
As he slammed the door of his bedroom, he heard the whispers exchanged from Remus to Aunt Petunia about what happened. Harry lied on his bed and looked up at the ceiling, just as his aunt slowly walked up the stairs. She opened the door and entered the room. Her arms were crossed and her mouth was a straight line.  
  
"Remus told me why you're angry," uttered his aunt.  
  
"Yeah, I heard you both whispering," said Harry, now looking at his aunt. "Are you going to explain to me how much you hated my sister, or are you going to reveal another secret that you've kept from me all these years?"  
  
"I'm very sorry we didn't tell you about your parents' funeral and their graves," sighed Petunia, walking closer to Harry's bed. "We completely forgot to tell you. We've just been so angry at you for so long that we're just now adjusting to the change."  
  
"You've already told me so many times why you hated me," mumbled Harry.  
  
"I don't think we actually explained it thoroughly to you," said Aunt Petunia, who slowly sat on Harry's bed. He got up and sat down with his legs crossed. "When your sister got her letter from Hogwarts, my parents were absolutely thrilled. I had always tried to do my best at making them proud of me, but my sister was just so smart and talented that she outshined me. I just adored those small moments when they were happy for me.   
  
"When they found out your mother was a witch, they threw me aside and became so loving to her. They were thrilled to have a witch in the family. It was as if they abandoned me. She took away my parents' attention from me. I felt like an orphan. "I hated magic for two reasons. The first reason was because my sister was a witch. The second reason is that I was so scared of magic."  
  
Harry looked up at her. He never knew she was afraid of it.  
  
"A few days before she got her letter, my sister got angry at me for taking one of her dolls. She got so mad at me that the step of stairs that I was standing on exploded, and I fell from the stairs. I was so close to being badly hurt, like being paralysed or breaking one or both of my legs. After I found out she was a witch, I was afraid of the things she could do."  
  
"I never knew," said Harry. "I'm sorry that happened."  
  
"It's not your fault."  
  
"Why does Uncle Vernon hate magic so much?" asked Harry.  
  
"His family always hated magic. His ancestors were the kind of people who burned witches at the stake."  
  
"All right," said Harry. "Are you still mad at my mom?"  
  
"Harry, I will never be able to look back at my childhood without feeling the pain and loneliness I felt because your mother was a witch. It was as if she took away my childhood. Nonetheless, I've realized that she wasn't trying to push my parents away from me. She did try to be nice to me. I've recognized that it was more of my parents' fault that they didn't pay attention to me. Even so, I'm still a bit jealous of the love that they gave her and not me. Your mother, however, was a nice person."  
  
Harry wasn't sure what to think of the explanation. He had found out the year before that his father was a bit of a bully, and he had found out before that he was a mischievous prankster. He felt deeply sorry for Aunt Petunia. He really liked the fact that his mother was a nice person, but why did his grandparents have to push his aunt aside and make her feel so miserable?   
  
"So is that the reason you didn't bring me to the funeral?" asked Harry. "You hated my parents?"  
  
"Yes, and because we didn't think it was appropriate to bring a baby to a funeral."  
  
"That's what Remus told me."  
  
"If you want, we could go to the funeral with you," offered Petunia. "I would actually like to finally say 'goodbye' to my sister. It wasn't really her fault how I was treated."  
  
"I'll check with Remus," said Harry.  
  
"Supper's almost ready. You should go and wash up."  
  
Just as Aunt Petunia stood up from Harry's bed, Harry asked her a question.  
  
"Do all of you still hate me?" asked Harry.  
  
"No," admitted Aunt Petunia. "We're starting to get used to you now. The truth is, I never hated you. Deep down, I always loved you."  
  
As she said this, she went out of the room and went down to the kitchen, with a small tear dropping down her cheek.  
  
"Welcome to Cromwell Coffins," greeted the tiny bald man in a dress robe at the large white desk. "I'm Mr. Cromwell. How may I help you two?"  
  
Harry and Remus were at the Victorian-style building of 'Cromwell Coffins'(which sold coffins, of course) that was next to Morty & Son's Mortuary. Harry and Remus had already made their guest list. Remus had sent letters to all of Sirius' family, but their replies confirmed that none of his family (other than the still-living cast-out relatives) wanted to be there. Harry thought it very sad that Sirius' own family didn't want to be at his funeral. Even so, all of the members of the Order of the Phoenix, the professors who taught Sirius at Hogwarts, Hermione and her family, the Weasleys, Princesses Glory and Joy, Mudungus, Ms. Figgs, Hagrid, Luna Lovegood and Neville who had seen Sirius die (Neville would be bringing his grandmother) and even Buckbeak would attend. Harry and him decided that his funeral would be on the 16th of July. Harry went with Remus to pick out a coffin for Sirius.   
  
"We're Remus Lupin and Harry Potter," introduced Remus. "We have an appointment at this time to find a coffin for Sirius Black."  
  
"Yes, I heard about his death in The Daily Prophet," said Mr. Cromwell. "So sad, so sad... I remember seeing the appointment written in this book here - "  
  
The little old man pulled out a large book and flipped through its pages. He looked closely at the spot where his finger was pointed.  
  
"Yes, yes! I see right here: appointment at 2 o'clock with Mr. Remus Lupin and Mr. Harry Potter. Harry Potter?"  
  
Mr. Cromwell's eyes widened greatly as he looked up at Harry, glaring at the scar.  
  
"It - it's Harry Potter!" exclaimed Mr. Cromwell.  
  
"Yes, I'm Harry Potter," sighed Harry.  
  
"I'm so glad to meet you!" said Mr. Cromwell, shaking Harry's hand rigorously. "Follow me to the showcase room."  
  
Harry and Remus followed Mr. Cromwell into an ancient white-painted door (which was starting to chip) that had a sign in big letters reading: COFFIN SHOWCASE ROOM. The man opened the door and led them into a giant room filled with coffins of every kind displayed around the room.   
  
"I'll leave you two to choose," said Mr. Cromwell as he left the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Do you have an idea what you have in mind?" asked Remus to Harry as he scratched his head and looked around the room.  
  
"No," mumbled Harry.  
  
Harry and Remus walked around the room and looked at all the coffins. There were ones made with mahogany, ones made with lighter woods and even a few made with metal. There were ones with silk insides, cotton insides or ones with wool. Many types of coffins were on display, but it was hard for Harry to choose.  
  
"Do you think the inside of it should be silk?" asked Remus, looking at some silk ones.  
  
"Sure," sighed Harry.  
  
"Harry, we're going to have to pick one."  
  
"I - I just can't pick one!" stated Harry. "I just can't picture Sirius in a coffin."  
  
"I'm sorry you have to do this. I should have known."  
  
"It's all right. It's just hard to pick... What about this one," said Harry, pointing to a long and nicely-carved polished dark-wood coffin with white silk inside.  
  
"It's really nice," said Remus, examining it. "It should fit Sirius. Oh my gosh, I can't believe I said that."  
  
"It feels weird, doesn't it?"  
  
"Yeah. Let's look at how much it costs," suggested Remus, as he looked at the label in front of the coffin. "Good price. I think we found our coffin."  
  
Remus picked up one of the label-cards placed near the label, as Harry followed Remus out of the showcase room and ordered at the desk. As Remus spoke to Mr. Cromwell, Harry stared blankly into space and thought about his whole situation. In his third year when he first found out about Sirius Black as a criminal, he never thought that he'd be in this situation, nor did he think about it during his 5th year. He was starting to feel a bit more comfortable about the death of Sirius, and the fact that they had found his body. Yes, he was a bit depressed, but it didn't made him feel so miserable anymore.  
  
"Everything is set, Mr. Lupin," stated Mr. Cromwell, closing his large book. "The coffin will be sent to the mortuary for preparation of the funeral. Have a nice day."  
  
"You too. Harry, let's go."  
  
"Er, okay."  
  
Harry made his way with Remus out of the room, out of the building and to the parking lot.  
  
"You looked completely blank in there," remarked Lupin. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Of course I am," answered Harry, getting into the Thunderbird. "I was just thinking, which is what I've been doing a lot this year."  
  
"That's what happens when you're 16 years old," said Remus. "You're always thinking deeply."  
  
"I was thinking how I would have never known I'd be here right now, ordering Sirius Black's coffin, when I first found out about him in my 3rd year."  
  
"I know what you mean," sighed Remus. "I have to get you home. You're going to be driven to Godric's Hollow by the Dursleys?"  
  
"They're going to drop me off at the wake at the church, explore the town, and then meet me at the burial ceremony in the afternoon. And Remus?"  
  
"Yes, Harry?"  
  
"Uhm... You see, last year Sirius gave me... these two mirrors to talk to each other..."  
  
"The present he gave you for Christmas? I remember that."  
  
"I was wondering... Could I put one of the mirrors in his coffin? It would make me feel better. Okay, that sounded weirder than it did - "  
  
"Don't worry, Harry. Of course you can put one of the mirrors in the coffin."  
  
"It's just that I can't stand looking at both of those mirrors and not feel awful. In a way, knowing that he has one of them - "  
  
"-makes you feel like you're connected with him somehow, which makes you feel that you haven't lost him completely?"  
  
"Yeah, exactly. I'm glad you understand."  
  
"Harry, I'm you're mentor. I understand everything."  
  
Remus quickly turned on the convertible and drove off into the road to the Dursleys.  
  
As July 16th approached, the more preparations Harry and Remus had to do, from talking to the priest who would do the ceremony, to picking the graveyard, the writings on the tombstone, the dress robe Sirius would be buried in, etc. Day after day, Harry started to feel a bit more comfortable about the fact that Sirius would be having a funeral.   
  
When the 16th of July had finally come, Harry's stomach was in a knot and his throat was dry and sore. All the comfort and stability he had established during the process of the funeral vanished, and now he was as depressed and woeful as ever. He was scared to see Sirius again, and it felt torture to say 'goodbye' to the godfather he had loved so much. As he looked outside his window, he noticed it was a dark and gloomy day, which was the perfect setting to reflect his feelings and the emotion he was experiencing at that moment.  
  
In the morning, he looked under his bed and retrieved one of the two mirrors that Sirius had given him. He looked into it the same way he had when Remus gave the second one to him, and the same way when he opened his present at the end of the year right after Sirius died. He held the mirror to his chest, wanting so badly to change back time and to have used the mirrors to contact Sirius instead of the fireplace.  
  
Harry and the Dursleys dressed up in their best clothes (Harry was wearing the suit the Dursleys gave him for his birthday) and went into the car right after breakfast. They had a quick and early breakfast, and it was 8 o'clock by the time they went on their way. It was a very long drive to Godric's Hollow, and on the way there they passed many graveyards. Those tombstones made Harry shiver mercilessly and gave him the dry and tightening feeling in his throat, while he was still holding onto the mirror. The Dursleys weren't so happy themselves, but Harry just stared depressingly out of the window with a pained expression on his face.  
  
After at least an hour of being in the car, the Harry and the Dursleys got to the small and welcoming village of Godric's Hollow. It seemed like such a wonderful place that Harry knew why his parents had settled there. Uncle Vernon stopped right in front of a small brick-built church with lovely flowers in the front, with a welcoming sign and the description of Sunday's sermon. Harry could see a few of the people they invited entering the church, and he felt a bit better that he would be surrounded by those he knew.  
  
"Here we are," declared Uncle Vernon, parking the car on the left of the church. "Off you go, Harry, and we'll meet you at the graveyard. You'll get yourself lunch?"  
  
"Remus wanted to show me a restaurant my parents loved to go to," answered Harry, as he got out of the car. "I'll have lunch there."  
  
"Good!"  
  
Uncle Vernon started the car again and drove off in the dusty road. Harry fixed his tie and walked up the stairs. The knot in his stomach was getting tighter, and nerves started to swell up in him. Every step made his hands more sweaty and clammy, and he felt like he wanted to vomit.   
  
Once Harry entered the church, he realized there was a long line of guests, and Remus, in a black suit, was shaking all their hands and greeting them, with their gratitude and telling him how sorry they were back. Remus looked in Harry's direction and realized he was there. He waved for Harry to approach him, and Harry quickly rushed over to him.  
  
"Hey, Harry," said Remus in a low voice. "I'm glad you made it."  
  
"Of course I'd make it," said Harry.  
  
"That's true. So you decided to wear Muggle clothes too?"  
  
"I didn't have any black dress robes. I couldn't bear to wear anything but black today."  
  
"Me too, but I kind of decided to wear my suit because I didn't want to draw too much attention from Muggles. Would you help me greet the guests? You'll be able to give your... mirror... and say your goodbyes to... Sirius... at the end."  
  
"Aren't you going to go last too?"  
  
"I went before everyone came."  
  
"I'm okay with that," said Harry.   
  
He was actually quite relieved, because he was so nervous that he didn't really want to say goodbye. He was so afraid to see Sirius again. He laid the mirror on a table close to him and started to greet the guests.   
  
In the entrance entered Hagrid and the Grangers. Harry could tell that Hermione and her parents were wearing their best clothes, while Hagrid wore the nice dress robe Joy gave him for Christmas. Hagrid and the Grangers followed the line and shook Harry and Remus' hand.  
  
" 'Ello, 'Arry! 'Ello, Lupin!" greeted Hagrid, shaking their hands with a lot of strength.   
  
"Hi, Hagrid," said Harry, as he forced a smile. "We're glad you could make it."  
  
"It's the least I could do. That Black was a good man, 'e never really 'urt anybody. We're all 'urtin' for him."  
  
"Thank you, Hagrid," said Remus.  
  
Even though Hagrid, and many of the other guests tried to say things that would make Remus and Harry feel better, they didn't. Every thing that the guests said made Harry feel worse, and made him want to tear at each moment. After Hagrid was the Grangers.  
  
"Hello, Harry, and hello, Remus!" greeted Hermione with a light grin, as she shook both their hands. Her parents shook their hands too.  
  
"Hello, Hermione," welcomed Harry.  
  
"We're glad you could come," said Remus with a welcoming smile.  
  
"It was our pleasure," said Mrs. Granger. "Our Hermione said she knew this Sirius Black well. It seems awful that he had to die like this."  
  
"Yes it was," sighed Harry, who could remember the expression on Sirius' face when he fell behind the veil.  
  
Hermione and her parents followed the line into the church for the wake of Sirius to say their goodbyes. Afterwards, the Weasley family came in their black dress robes. Everyone in the family was there, from Bill to Ginny, and both parents looked curiously at the church. They quickly lined up to greet Harry and Remus.  
  
"Hello, dears," said Mrs. Weasley, shaking their hands.  
  
"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," greeted Remus.  
  
"It was nice for you to have come," said Harry.  
  
"Harry, it wouldn't be the same if we didn't come! We know you're hurting. Sirius was a bit stubborn at times, but we all miss him."  
  
"Hi, Harry and Remus!" greeted Mr. Weasley. "We're very sorry for your loss. He was a very loving person, even though he was misunderstood."  
  
"We appreciate it," said Remus.  
  
"Oy, Harry!" said Fred. "We're really sorry your godfather died."  
  
"Yeah, one of the original marauders," sighed George. "A legend is gone."  
  
"All pranksters will miss him."  
  
"Thanks," said Harry, who was a bit cheered up by the sarcasm but quite offended by it too.  
  
"Hi, Harry," said Ginny shyly. "Hello, Remus. We were glad to come. It's the least we could do."  
  
"We appreciate it," said Remus.  
  
"He didn't deserve to die like that. He was a good person."  
  
"Hello, Harry and Mr. Lupin," said Percy seriously, shaking their hands. "Our family and the Ministry grieve for your loss, and we hope you accept our humble gratitude."  
  
"We do," said Harry, angry that Percy didn't care if Sirius was dead or not.  
  
"Hello, Harry and Remus!" said Charlie, all tanned and giving them both hardy hand-shakes and grins. "I didn't get to meet Sirius because I was in Romania, but Mum made him sound really nice and jolly. I'm really sorry that you lost him."  
  
"We're grateful for your concern," said Remus.  
  
"Hello, Remus and Harry!" said Bill, looking quite cool with his ponytail. "I was really lucky to meet Sirius when he was alive. He was so nice to donate the House of Black to the Order. We all miss him."  
  
"Thanks," sighed Harry.  
  
"Hi, Harry! Hi, Remus!" greeted Ron with a smile. Of all the people, Harry was glad Ron could make it.  
  
"Hey, Ron."  
  
"Listen, I'm so sorry that your godfather died like that. I didn't quite see him die, but Neville told me about it. It's so awful. The Ministry shouldn't have been after him like that! It wasn't even him who was with You-Know-Who!"  
  
"I know," sighed Harry, choking up words. "They shouldn't have."  
  
"If you want to tell me anything, you can tell me, all right?"  
  
"Thanks, Ron."  
  
After the Weasleys were many other guests, including Luna Lovegood wearing black-painted corks on her ears with her father. She was deeply sorry for Harry and was very kind to him. Neville came with his Grandma, and was really sorry that Sirius had been killed. The Death Eater who had killed Sirius was the one who made Neville's parents go insane, so he was one of the very few who really understood him. Many of the members of the Order of the Phoenix, including the Aurors with Remus, like Tonks, came to the wake.  
  
"Really sorry for you, kid!" said Tonks with short brown hair. Tonks' mother, Andromeda, was being her (she looked like her daughter, with short brown hair too). Tonks gave Harry a warm wink to cheer him up (which didn't). "Sirius was pretty cool."  
  
"Thanks, Tonks," said Harry.  
  
Following them was Mudungus, who tried not to look so stingy for the wake. Ms. Figgs followed him, and had hit him in the head with her purse because he was talking to one of the members of the Order about stolen cauldron tools.   
  
The Hogwarts professors who taught Sirius came after, looking deeply sad that they had lost a former student.  
  
"Sirius might have been quite the prankster, but he was always very entertaining and put a smile on everyone's faces," said Professor McGonagoll. "Everyone at Hogwarts would have missed him."  
  
"We're grateful for your concern," sighed Remus.  
  
"He was a wonderful student, even though him and James got a bit hysterical," said Professor Flitwick, blowing his nose and weeping in a tiny tissue. He had to stand on his toes to reach Harry and Remus' hands. "They always made the class more enjoyable."  
  
"Thank you, Professor Flitwick," said Harry.  
  
A few teachers that Harry didn't know came, but he still welcomed them. Professor Snape, looking very stern with his oily hair brushed back, came into the church. Harry held his breath as Snape joined the line.  
  
"Hello, Potter and Lupin," said Snape sternly, giving them simple handshakes.   
  
"Hello, Professor Snape," said Harry shyly.   
  
Harry was afraid that Snape would say something very mean to him, and the one thing Harry didn't need at that moment were insults when his heart was crumbling inside his chest with sorrow.  
  
"We're gracious that you could make it," said Remus.  
  
"I felt that it was my duty to pay respect to Black," stated Snape. "It was kind of him to lend his family's house to the Order of the Phoenix, and I suppose he was quite... misunderstood... by the Ministry. He was a brave person, and in a way I'd like to say sorry that our past wasn't so wonderful."  
  
"Thank you so much, Severus," said Remus, starting to smile. "We thank you for the gratitude."  
  
"You're welcome," said Snape bluntly, as he followed the line into the church.  
  
Harry looked out the entrance to the church, and spotted a long limousine stopping in front of the chapel and letting Glory, Joy and their parents out, all of them in black robes (which were actually rather nice), and parking in the church parking lot. All of them walked up the stairs and into the church. They quickly approached Harry and Remus and shook their hands.  
  
"Hello, Harry and Remus," greeted Glory warmly, shaking their hands and looking at Harry adoringly.  
  
"Hi," said Joy, shaking their hands and giving them a large smile (which wasn't one of her famous smiles, but the kinds that tried to make others smile).   
  
"Hello, Harry and Remus," said Liona, their mother.  
  
"We're very sorry for your loss," said Emmanuel, their father.  
  
"It's an honour for all of you to have made it," said Remus, bowing down to Joy and Glory.  
  
"It was an honour to be invited," said Liona. "You both deserve as much love as all of us can give."  
  
"We appreciate it," sighed Harry.  
  
"We didn't exactly know your godfather, but we understand the pain you're going through," said Glory.  
  
"Thank you," said Remus.  
  
The family walked into the church with the others, but Glory stayed behind to whisper in Harry's ear.  
  
"I'll talk to you later, all right?" she whispered.  
  
"Sure," sighed Harry.  
  
Glory gave Harry a peck on the cheek and went into the church with everybody else.  
  
"You're very lucky to have such a wonderful girl who understands what you're going through," said a familiar voice behind him, "especially because she's my great-great-great-granddaughter."  
  
Harry turned around to see Professor Dumbledore with a kind smile and a warm twinkle in his eye. He walked slowly to them. He outstretched his hand and gave them hardy handshakes.  
  
"It's wonderful to see you two, Mr. Potter and Mr. Lupin, at a time when we all need to be together."  
  
"We really appreciate you being here, Professor Dumbledore," said Harry.  
  
"It was my pleasure. It is an awful thing to grieve alone, but to grieve together makes it less horrid. We all grieve the loss of our dear and brave friend Sirius Black."  
  
"We're gracious for your concern," said Remus.  
  
"Sirius was a wonderful student, and showed us that life was for living. Remember, Remus, you might think you've lost a friend, but we know that we've gained an angel above, watching us."  
  
"I - I really appreciate that," said Remus.  
  
"Besides, you've gained another friend too," said Dumbledore nodding at Harry.  
  
"You're right. James has a wonderful son, and he's now a great friend of mine," said Remus, smiling at Harry. Harry felt a lot warmer inside at that moment.  
  
"And Harry, remember that Sirius will never be gone, because his memory and love are still inside you. He loved you very much, like a son even. He will always be watching you from above."  
  
"Thank you so much," said Harry, trying to hold back the fountain of emotions ready to pour out.  
  
"I will see you at the burial," said Dumbledore, following the rest of the witches and wizards into the church.  
  
"Do we go in now?" asked Harry.  
  
"No, we're going to stay out here to greet those coming out."  
  
"All right," sighed Harry, who was glad to put off his goodbye to Sirius once more.   
  
He was still so scared to say goodbye. As everyone walked out of the chapel, a few crying and almost all of them more glum than before, Harry and Remus shook their hands again and said such things as 'thank you for coming'. Soon enough, there was no one in the church except for Remus and Harry.   
  
"I'll go in now," said Harry, following a long sigh. He picked up his mirror from the table, held it to his side and walked into the chapel.  
  
As he stepped into the large room, he looked around. There were crosses hung, and tens of benches in rows going from the front to the back. There was an altar and table at the front. It was the basic Protestant church, but it was simple yet welcoming. At the front of the altar stood the coffin that Harry and Remus chose. Because of the angle he was looking at, he couldn't see Sirius' body.  
  
He slowly walked down the church's aisle, every step sounding like large click-clacks on hard stone that bounced off the walls everywhere. Even if it was the middle of July, the chapel was abnormally bitter cold and its chill seeped into his soul. The more he got closer to the coffin, the more achy and scared he became. He tried to walk slowly to his godfather's coffin so that the awful sight wouldn't be too soon.  
  
After many slow and painful steps, gripping more onto the mirror with every move he made, he finally arrived at the coffin, and glared inside.  
  
It was Sirius Black, dead, with his eyes closed, his long hair flat on the silk pillows in the coffin, wearing a nice black dress robe and a peaceful smile on his face. Harry's hand shivered, and then his whole body trembled with fright. The sight of Sirius brought him back to the instant that he died: the shocked expression in Sirius' eyes when the spell hit him on the chest, the look of mingled fear and surprise, the way he fell behind the veil, into the Chamber of Death...   
  
His face looked so different from what it looked like then. The smile on his face seemed so peaceful. Harry couldn't do anything but wonder if he was in peace, that he was now experiencing something better, in a more wonderful place. He looked almost relieved and happy, that all the pain he suffered was all washed away. Harry hoped that wonderful place he was in now was better than the cold coffin he was lying in then.  
  
Every single moment he experienced with Sirius and about Sirius, from the time he first heard about him loose from Azkaban to the things he did with Remus to prepare for Sirius' funeral, flashed through his mind in an instant. As all these things flashed through his head, he couldn't utter a word to say. It was as if his mouth was frozen shut. Finally, he was able to speak.  
  
"So... here I am," sighed Harry. He could not believe that that was all he could say. He tried to think of more. "It's been so long since the last time I saw your face. Back then, it looked so awful in an expression that makes me tremble every second I think about it. Now, you're in a better place with a smile on your face. You look happy."  
  
Harry let out a deep sigh of sorrow as he finished saying the things he had just said.  
  
"You shouldn't have died," sighed Harry, his voice shaking. "I was the one who thought that Lord Voldemort was torturing you. I tried to save you, but I later found out at the Ministry that I was wrong, that Voldemort was trying to use me to get his weapon, because he knew that I was the one who always tried to be the hero. Unfortunately, me trying to be the hero led to your end...  
  
"You would not believe the pain I felt when I saw you fall behind that... veil... I never wanted to lose you. You were my godfather! It took me months to get you off my mind, and the truth is, I still can't stop thinking about it.  
  
"It's been... so hard... to get over your death this year. I can't even count the many times that I've cried myself to sleep over your death, or have woken up pouring in cold sweat after a dream of how you died. Luckily, I have Remus by my side, who helped me to get through everything. I don't know what I'd do without him. Even so, he's not my godfather, and he's not you.  
  
"You missed so much this year. I met the Princesses for Magic, and they're great. Joy's one of my best friends and Glory's my girlfriend. I started to date Cho, the crush I had for 3 years, but she turned out to be a scam. She used me. I felt horrible, and I wish I could have shared the moment with you. Even so, I got over it really quickly, because I later fell in love with Glory. She's so much like me, and she lost her godmother too. I became Quidditch captain, and our team won the Cup! You should have seen it, it was so great. It was crazy what happened this year with Malfoy, Glory and Voldemort. It was nuts. The Dursleys are nice to me now too! Aunt Petunia is actually a lot more loving than I thought."  
  
Harry stared more at Sirius. It wasn't like Sirius was really listening to what he was saying. It made Harry feel so much better to say what he wanted to say to Sirius, but the fact that Sirius wasn't actually listening made it all bitter.  
  
"Listen to me, I'm talking to a dead person!" shouted Harry, feeling quite embarrassed. "Sirius, wherever you are, the fact is I miss you! I miss you, okay? The very second that you fell behind that veil, my life had been turned upside down! Even with Remus, no one could replace a godfather like you! There were times that were so awful, and all I wanted was you to be there!   
  
"I was so worried for you when I thought Voldemort was going to kill you that I rushed to the Ministry to save you. I didn't realize that he was using me, because I always want to be the hero. If I didn't always try to be the hero, you wouldn't be dead. It's all my fault that you're dead. If I didn't take those visions so seriously... it's just...   
  
"IT'S ALL MY FAULT! DO YOU HEAR ME, SIRIUS? IT WAS ALL MY FAULT THAT YOU'RE DEAD! IT'S ALL MY FAULT! IF I WASN'T SUCH A HERO, YOU WOULD STILL BE HERE! You'd still... be here..."  
  
Suddenly as if a dam was opened, Harry burst out crying, not able to control his emotions. Tears, tears and more tears ran swiftly down his face. As hard as he tried, he couldn't stop the rush of sorrow streaming through him. All the times he had spent with Sirius rushed through his head, and he immediately thought of the exact moment Sirius died. It was all his fault. If it wasn't for him trying to save the day all the time, Sirius wouldn't have gone to the Ministry to try and save him and Bellatrix wouldn't have killed him. He was so angry with himself. 'It's all my fault', he kept on saying to himself.   
  
After minutes of nothing but large amounts of crying, he started to calm down, still filling awful with himself. He tried to wipe his face of tears, his face was all red. He heard a blow of wind coming from an open window in the church, and the room became a lot warmer. Harry felt a warm presence right beside him, and he quickly turned around to see a ghostly image of Sirius Black in a nice white dress robe, a glowing appearance and a welcoming smile on his face under his flowing hair.  
  
"Hey, Harry!" said the appearance of Sirius, winking at Harry.   
  
Harry was so confused at what he was seeing right then. He glared at Sirius' corpse, which was still in the coffin, yet he still glared at Sirius' ghostly appearance. Was he hallucinating? He was so scared he started trembling.  
  
"S-sir-rius?" stuttered Harry.  
  
"Don't worry, Harry. Don't be afraid. It's only me, Sirius."   
  
"W-what a-are you d-d-doing here?"  
  
"I wanted to talk to you," said Sirius, laying his hand on Harry's shoulder. Even if his appearance seemed transparent, Harry could still feel his godfather's hand on his shoulder.   
  
"W-what d-do youw-want to t-talk to m-me about?"  
  
"I wanted to talk you about how I died. Well, I don't exactly want to say 'how' I died. Nobody 'up there' wants to talk about it too much actually. It makes a good conversation starter, but after you know, you don't really want to talk about it again. It's horrible. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that it wasn't your fault, Harry."  
  
"Yes it was!" shouted Harry, feeling so guilty. "I tried to be the hero, and you ended up dead trying to save me!"  
  
"Harry, don't blame yourself!" said Sirius, gripping on both of Harry's shoulders. "It's wonderful that you want to save people. If you weren't the hero in many situations, Voldemort would have gotten to power a lot sooner or someone would have ended up dead from him! Everyone is proud of you that you like to take charge of things and save the day, because you usually do! Voldemort was the one who took advantage of that and used you! He's the only one to blame, and those awful Death Eaters who helped him too. Other than that, no one's to blame! I tried to blame myself, but I found out it wasn't my fault either. I tried to make sure nothing bad would happen, like a good godfather should."  
  
"But I shouldn't be the hero, it gets me into trouble!"  
  
"Harry, it does the opposite. I watched you this year when you were face-to-face with Voldemort, or Princess Glory... I'm not too sure which one. Anyway, you were so close to - 'it' - but you didn't coward-out!"  
  
"I didn't do anything! Everyone thinks I saved the day, but didn't."  
  
"Harry, I saw it. Even if you didn't really battle or anything, you kept your chin up and faced it. You were brave, and that's all that matters. When your friends were whimpering, you were determined to stop it. That effort means a lot."  
  
"Y-you saw it?"  
  
"Of course I did! I'm always watching you, and so are James and Lily. We're all watching you, and we're proud of you. Even Cedric Diggory peaks on you once and a while to check out 'how Harry's doin' and all'. We don't want you to stop being the hero, because if you're not the hero, there won't be any hero, which can result in drastic consequences. Your parents are so proud of you that you will not believe."  
  
"R-really?" asked Harry, with a smile appearing on his face. My parents are so proud of me, thought Harry. All the dread that he felt about himself was going away.  
  
"Of course! Please, Harry, don't try and make your life miserable over me. You shouldn't, when you can be embracing life! You've got a wonderful girlfriend for instance! I'm proud of you on that, I tell you! Royalty and my godson... Your mother's glorified. She always loved the idea of the Monarchy of Magic. Anyway, I'm not worth moping about all your life. Have fun! All right, I have to go now. Goodbye, Harry!"  
  
Harry blinked, and suddenly Sirius was gone. The church became empty and cold again. Harry couldn't understand what had happened. Was it all his imagination? Despite what Sirius said, Harry felt miserable again. He wanted to ask Sirius more questions.  
  
"Sirius?" called out Harry in a whisper. "Sirius, come back! I miss you."  
  
Harry's eyes became watery and they started to drip with tears. As he started to cry again, he could hear a door creaking open and large clumpy footsteps going towards him. Harry wanted to be alone now.  
  
"Go away," said Harry, not looking at the person coming near him. Who was it? The footsteps approached even quicker. "Go away!" shouted Harry again. The person was now very close to Harry. Harry would turn around and tell them to go. "I TOLD YOU TO GO- Oh. Hi, Glory."  
  
It was Glory who was approaching Harry, looking lovingly at him. Harry was really ashamed of himself (and embarrassed) that he had said those things.  
  
"Remus wanted me to check on you," said Glory softly. "You were talking for a really long time. Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm not too sure," sighed Harry.  
  
"You were shouting," remarked Glory. "You thought it was your fault that he died."  
  
"Yeah, I thought that. I understand it's not my fault now, but it's Lord Voldemort's."  
  
"I'm glad you understand that now. I heard another voice. Was it Sirius you were talking to?"  
  
Harry looked shocked at Glory, and stood there silent, not knowing what to say. Did she really know?  
  
"Er, no, it was only me shouting at myself."  
  
"You saw Sirius' appearance, didn't you?" asked Glory. "An angel?"  
  
Harry looked at her surprisingly. She did know what he'd seen. Was what he saw really an angel?  
  
"I-I guess so," said Harry, glaring at Sirius' coffin.  
  
"He talked to you, didn't he? My godmother did the same a few months after she died. It really touched me. Are you finished saying your final goodbyes to Sirius?"  
  
"Almost," said Harry. "I just have to do one more thing."  
  
Harry, who had gripped onto the mirror the whole entire time, laid the mirror onto the chest of the dead Sirius. He felt a bit better.  
  
"Goodbye, Sirius," sighed Harry. He turned back to speak to Glory. "I'm finished now."  
  
"All right. I have to go, but I'll meet you at the funeral."  
  
"Sure. I'll see you then."  
  
"Bye, Harry," she said, as she gave Harry another peck on the cheek.   
  
As she walked out of the church, Harry touched his cheek, which was still warm from her kiss. He was grateful that he had her for a girlfriend. He took a last look at Sirius, and rushed out of the room to where Remus was leaning on the wall near the entrance.  
  
"Hey, Harry!" he said. "Are we going to that restaurant I told you about? The one your parents loved to go to?"  
  
"Sure," said Harry, as the walked out of the church into the parking lot where Remus' Thunderbird was.   
  
They both hopped into the vehicle and drove into the town, where they stopped at a large restaurant called, 'Aunt Sue's Restaurant'. It was a very old building, with cracks near the edges of the windows and corners. It was made in grey brick with large semi-circle-shaped windows. The large sign showcasing the name of the restaurant in large cursive painted letters hung right beneath the tile roof. Harry could smell the delicious food all the way from its parking lot.   
  
"I can smell the food from here," said Harry. "Is it a Muggle restaurant?"  
  
"Yeah, it is. It's a great restaurant. The owner, Sue Baker-Smith, is a witch, although she's extremely friendly with Muggles. She was a friend of your parents. She's 66 years old now, even if she's as youthful as ever. Let's get in there, I'm starving!"  
  
Harry and Remus went into the old building and a whiff of delicious foods took their breaths away. The restaurant was decorated with nice potted plants, set-up tables and green and red walls surrounding the room, with a hard-wood floor to finish. The flowers on each table brightened up the room even more. A chubby lady with an apron holding a pad of paper, menus in her hand and a pen stuck behind her ear noticed Harry and Remus at the entrance and quickly went to them.  
  
"Hello, Remus!" greeted the lady cheerfully. "What brings you to Godric's Hollow?"  
  
"I'm here for Sirius' funeral, Sue," said Remus. "The burial's in the afternoon and I wanted to show Harry his parents' favourite restaurant."  
  
"Harry Potter?" questioned Sue, looking closely at Harry with her hand gripped onto his face gently. "Why, it is!"  
  
"It was the scar that gave it away, wasn't it?" asked Harry, as she pulled her hand away.   
  
"The scar? Oh that, right on your forehead! No, it's not that. You're the spinning image of James Potter, and you have Lily's eyes! I don't need to see a scar to realize you're James and Lily's son, dear! He's such a charming lad, Remus!"  
  
"He is," agreed Remus.   
  
"Why, silly me! I should give you two a table. By the way, Remus, I'm so sorry that Sirius Black died. I read about that in The Daily Prophet. How horrible! He was a sweet thing too. Follow me and I'll show you to your table."  
  
Sue showed them to a table set for two near the window. They both quickly sat down and she handed them menus.   
  
"I'll come back later when you're ready to order," said the owner, as she walked away to serve some others.  
  
"She seems nice," said Harry, looking at the menu of delicious foods.  
  
"Of course she is!"  
  
Harry and Remus had a wonderful time eating their delicious food. Harry had ordered the stir-fry shrimp dish with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob while Remus had the grilled steak with fries and mixed vegetables. Harry watched Remus gobble up the steak rapidly and sloppily. When Remus noticed Harry was watching him eat, he excused himself.  
  
"Sorry," apologized Remus, blushing a bit. "It's a week until the full moon and I'm already getting a bit carnivorous."  
  
Harry didn't mention at all about the appearance of Sirius during lunch, nor during that whole entire day. He didn't really want to talk about it. He wasn't ready.   
  
Afterwards, Harry got to order a large chocolate sundae with a giant cherry on top. He looked very immature (and Remus even told him so), but he didn't really care. Those few years of his childhood were pretty awful, and all he wanted to do was let loose one way or another.   
  
Once they paid the bill and said bye to the friendly owner, Harry and his mentor went into the Thunderbird and drove around Godric's Hollow so Remus could show Harry a few of the places his parents liked. They didn't get to stop anywhere because they were supposed to be at the burial in an hour. Driving to the graveyard, Harry had a yearning idea to go to a place he felt necessary to go, which Remus had completely ignored to show Harry.  
  
"Remus?" asked Harry, feeling a bit shy to ask. "Can we go to where my parents' house was?"  
  
Remus, shocked at the request, stopped at the side of the road and looked at Harry.  
  
"Y-you're sure you want to go there?" asked Remus, looking at Harry with a curious look. "It might bring bad memories. I - I'm not sure if you should go - "  
  
"Remus, I have to go there. Of all the places to see other than my parents' grave, it should be their house."  
  
"S-sure," agreed Remus, turning the car back on and going back from where they were before to take a few different turns.   
  
Remus drove into a little part of the town with many old and cozy brick houses in rows, which seemed like a welcoming neighbourhood. He made a left turn and went into a nice avenue with tall houses. At the very end of the road was an empty patch of land with no house. Harry could see the square form of where the house would have been, and the centre of the lot where the house would have been was completely black, as if there was some kind of explosion. Remus stopped in front of the remains of what almost looked like a former driveway.  
  
"This is where your - your parents died," sighed Remus, trying to turn his head away from the sight.  
  
"This is it," mumbled Harry to himself, not believing he was finally there. He unlocked the door and left the car, taking one slow step onto the lot.  
  
"You're going there?" questioned Remus. "Are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
"I have to," sighed Harry, looking back at Remus. "It just feels right, in a way."  
  
"Whatever," said Remus, looking away. Harry could tell he didn't like this place. Harry didn't feel like this was a wonderful place either.  
  
He walked slowly onto the lot, examining every inch of it. He couldn't believe that almost 17 years ago he would have called that place home. It seemed pretty abandoned. He approached the large burnt area of the place. He walked around the area, seeing if any memories would come back. Just by standing in the middle of the lot, he could suddenly imagine how his parents looked like: a young couple with smiles on their faces. As he stepped farther away in the area, he could see flashes of the horrible remains and spots of his memory that he had of that night, the flash of green light, his mother's cry and the large cackle...   
  
He couldn't stand the memory of that awful time, and quickly gave a few last glances and sped back into the car. He opened the door, took his seat in the front and buckled up.  
  
"Are you all right?" asked Remus looking concerned.  
  
"I think so."  
  
"I'm sorry I kind of freaked out. It's just that I hate this lot so much. To think that James - that James was... I can't say it. Sorry, Harry, but I still think I'm a bit sensitive about it."  
  
"Are you a bit sensitive about Sirius' death too?" asked Harry.  
  
"I am. It's just so hard to lose such great friends in such horrible ways. In the beginning, I'm usually so stunned I take it a bit easy. When it becomes a longer time and I have to deal with it more, the pain sinks in, and practically tortures me."  
  
"It must have scarred you," implied Harry, thinking about the end of his school year when he listened to Ron and his near death experience and the Princesses' experiences in war.  
  
"Exactly, it did just that. We should go," said Remus, trying to quickly change the subject.   
  
Remus turned on the car and sped out of the neighbourhood in the direction of the graveyard. They drove off into the town to a parking lot near the giant field of tombstones and statues, with a few trees standing beside the graves of the deceased. Harry and Remus quickly got out of the car. Harry wasn't sure if he could handle what was coming up.  
  
"We're here," stated Remus, turning off the Thunderbird. He and Harry got out of the convertible, closed its roof and locked it.   
  
They slowly walked into the paths throughout the graveyard. It felt so intense to Harry, that so many dead loved ones of so many laid in their final resting places right in that green field. He glared at the tombstones on each side of him as the afternoon sun beamed down. He could see in the distance rows of chairs set up near Sirius' coffin and grave with a priest getting ready beside it. Harry held his breath as he and Remus approached the priest.  
  
"Good afternoon!" greeted the priest, who was a tall old man with large glasses and a cheery face.   
  
"Hello, Father Luke," said Remus, shaking the priest's hand. "This is Harry Potter."  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Harry," said the priest, shaking Harry's hand.  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you too," said Harry. "You knew my parents?"  
  
"In fact I did. I wed them, and I did the ceremony of their burial. It's really sad about their death. Your parents were good people, Harry."  
  
"I appreciate that," sighed Harry, with appearance of the lot still in his head.  
  
"Sirius was a good man too," sighed the priest. "It's awful he's gone too."  
  
Harry looked at Remus, who was starting to look uncomfortable. Harry looked behind Sirius' coffin and could see a bit of his tombstone. He glared at the right where his parents' tombstones lied. It was hard to believe he was so close to them. Unfortunately, he didn't have time then to visit their graves.  
  
The guests arrived quickly, and the priest, Remus and Harry greeted them all as they sat down in the row of chairs. The Dursleys finally arrived and greeted them (Uncle Vernon and Dudley were quite uncomfortable). Even Buckbeak came with a member of the Hippogryph Society of Great Britain bringing him. Buckbeak wasn't as wild and joyful like the last time Harry saw him. Even the hippogryph was sad that Sirius was gone.  
  
At 3 o'clock, Harry took his seat in between Remus and Aunt Petunia as the priest started the ceremony.  
  
"We gather here today to honour, remember, and to lay to rest the body of Sirius Black," stated Father Luke, "who was a loving godfather, trusting best friend and a good friend and neighbour to us all. As we lay this wonderful wizard to rest, we try and remember the life of this young man who died too soon.  
  
"This part I am about to say was written with great help from Sirius' best friend Remus Lupin by special request," stated Father Luke. He cleared his throat and spoke what Remus had wanted to say. "Learning about the life of Sirius Black, I found out that his family was a pure-blood family, who despised anyone who wasn't pure blood. Sirius realized at an early age that this was the wrong thing to do, and he saw passed those who weren't pureblood and still knew that they were good people. We could see already that Sirius was a good person and knew from right and wrong, even though his family believed something else.  
  
"During school, he befriended James Potter, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin, who was also a werewolf (Remus was a bit embarrassed that his secret was revealed to such a large crowd, and he tried to look around to see if anyone was having any shocked expression on their face). We see again that Sirius saw passed this and saw the good in one who others would despise. At his time at Hogwarts, he was quite the prankster, but he always put a smile on someone's face or a bit of excitement in anyone's day. He was a great person to be around.  
  
"A few years afterwards, he became the best man of James Potter and the godfather of James and Lily's son, Harry. He was a loved person. Unfortunately, he was framed of being the associate of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the murderer to many Muggles. He was sent in Azkaban for reasons untrue, yet he still survived. He was a survivor.  
  
"He later escaped and had to hide from the Ministry of Magic, who still thought he was a criminal. Many people thought he was a criminal, and that is unfortunate because many people weren't able to see the genuine person behind the false accusations made against him. Even in secret, he was kind and loving.   
  
"At the end of June of last year, his godson went to the Ministry trying to save him, for he thought Sirius was being tortured. Members of the Order of the Phoenix, Aurors and Sirius went to save the youngsters, who were in grave danger. There, trying to save his godson and duelling his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius was shot by a spell from his cousin and fell into what the Ministry call, 'the Chamber of Death', and he was unfairly killed.  
  
"We are very unfortunate that he died, but are fortunate to have found his body, and to have gained an angel high above. This man will rest in our memories and hearts forever with a warming glow. His love, care and memory will never be forgotten. We often forget to live life to the fullest. Even if his last years alive were glum, he did in fact live life to the fullest when he had the chance. We will remember him from the grave and beyond. I will now read a passage from the Bible."  
  
As Father Luke said a passage in the Bible that was most touching, Harry thought of the wonderful speech that was made. Remus told Harry before that he made a special request to the priest that what he wanted to say would be said, although he didn't feel like saying it. Remus was too shy, and he felt that at the funeral he would be too sorrowful to say words such as those he wanted to say. Harry thought again of all the times he had spent with Sirius, and was glad he ever knew him. Father Luke finished off the passage and continued talking.  
  
"We will now lay to rest Sirius Black and that his spirit will go on forever in heaven. May God look after him and all of us who are mourning. Amen."  
  
The priest took out his wand (the Dursleys were shocked at this) and started to lower the coffin down into its grave. An immediate woeful emotion swept over Harry, and tears were urging to pour out behind his watery eyes. He felt as if to say, 'No, Sirius, please don't leave us', yet he didn't. He could hear others crying, such as Ginny Weasley and her mother. Even Hagrid was crying.  
  
Suddenly, he burst into tears, not being able to control it. He tried to cover his face. He didn't want to make a scene like this at Sirius' funeral. Oh Sirius! he thought to himself. Immediately beside him, he could hear cries coming out of Remus. Remus hugged Harry, and so did Aunt Petunia. Sirius' coffin was finally laid down into the ground.   
  
The priest made a concluding statement, and afterwards those at the funeral went to look at Sirius' grave and say goodbye to each other. Harry couldn't say goodbye to anyone, because he was too busy crying. It was worse than when he had seen Sirius' body in the church. Remus had to leave Harry alone to say goodbye to all the guests, and Aunt Petunia went to visit her sister's grave, so for a while he was crying all by himself.   
  
When he had gotten a hold on himself, almost everyone was gone except for the Dursleys, Remus, and the Princesses and their parents. He was angry at Hermione and Ron for not waiting to say goodbye to him, but he guessed they had to leave quickly. Harry quickly wiped his face with his sleeve. He had made a fool of himself in front of everyone.  
  
Joy and Glory sat down on both sides next to him.  
  
"Are you okay?" asked Joy.  
  
"I think so," choked Harry, trying to clean his face of tears with a tissue in his pocket.  
  
"We saw you crying when Sirius' body was laid to rest," said Glory, gliding her hands softly down on his cheek. "You reminded me of how I looked like when my godmother died, although I cried during the whole thing. I can't even count how many times I cried and howled after her death."  
  
"You're really lucky to have Glory," said Joy. "She's had experience with a lot of the things you're dealing with. But remember, you also have me if you want to talk to anybody. I wish Ron and Hermione could have stayed a bit longer, but they had to go. It was getting late."  
  
"I wondered about that," admitted Harry.  
  
"Are you going to go see your godfather's grave?" asked Glory.   
  
"Yeah. I also wanted to see my parents' graves. I never got to see theirs'."  
  
"Oh, that's horrible!" gasped Joy. "Come on, let's go see them."  
  
Harry stood up with both of them and walked over to Sirius' grave. It was a polished, grey semi-circle stone which had words engraved on it. It said on the stone:  
  
R.I.P.  
  
Sirius Black  
  
1960 - 1996  
  
A loving godfather, a trusting best friend and   
  
a good friend to anyone who knew him well.  
  
"He was so young," sighed Joy.  
  
"I know, he was only 36," stated Harry.   
  
Harry gave a long stare at the gravestone, and down at the grave. With Sirius' coffin sunken six feet under, it felt as if his godfather was now gone for good. As the afternoon sun shined high up in the sky in an intense fluorescent glow, its rays lit up the coffin in the ground and its polished stone, making Harry think of the angel-like Sirius he had spoken to in the church. He dearly missed Sirius, yet thinking about his angel and that he was in a better place made him less sorrowful.  
  
"Are these the graves of your parents?" asked Glory, pointing to the two graves beside Sirius'.   
  
"They are," sighed Harry, walking closer to their burial places.  
  
He knelt down on one knee to the ground and glided his fingertips onto the two stones right beside Sirius. They were two brown polished rectangle-stones rising up from the ground. Touching their tombstones and kneeling down in their resting places, he felt a bit like he was with his parents. A tender, loving, and yet mysterious sensation came over him just standing there, almost the same feeling he felt when he saw his family in the Mirror of Erised, but it was so different from it. It was almost as if their small family was all together again, even if his parents were dead.   
  
Harry read closely both the engravings on the stones. On his mother's stone, it said:  
  
Lily (Evans) Potter  
  
1960 - 1981  
  
A wonderful wife, mother and daughter,   
  
and loyal friend to many.  
  
She suffered a legendary and horrible death, trying to save her son,   
  
and her memory will live on.  
  
On his father's stone, it said:  
  
James Potter  
  
1960 - 1981  
  
A great best friend, a loving father and husband,   
  
and a memorable person to all.  
  
He died trying to save his family and suffered an unthinkable death,  
  
and his memory will live on with his wife's.  
  
He could just sit down there for days and days, knowing that his parents were there and not completely gone from the face of the earth, and that they were watching him. His knees almost gave away, as they were trembling so much from the intense feeling he was experiencing.  
  
"I would really like to be alone right now," said Harry, looking up at both the girls.   
  
"We completely understand," said Joy with a sweet smile. "We'll go talk to the Dursleys about the invitation for the stay of 2 weeks at the palace."  
  
"We'll hopefully see you soon, Harry!" said Glory, giving him a caring wink.  
  
Both girls left Harry and went to the Dursleys, who were eager to talk to them. Harry could hear behind him gasps and excited yelps as they explained their invitation.   
  
"You know, Muggle jewellery is very much like witch jewellery, and our mother is starting a jewel line," Harry heard Joy tell Aunt Petunia. He stared back at the grave stones. Checking to see if anyone was looking at him or was near to him, he started to speak to his deceased parents.  
  
"I know that I'm not really talking to you both or anything, but I never really got to say goodbye to either of you," said Harry. "I'm still mad at the Dursleys for not bringing me, even though they had their reasons. I wish you were still here, even if you're in a better place.  
  
"When I first found out when I started to go to Hogwarts of how you both were like, I found out how nice you were. I loved getting comments that I seemed so much like you, Dad, and that I had your green eyes, Mum. I always try and learn more about you, because I never got to know you that well in the first place. I wish I did, because you both seem like wonderful people.   
  
"You both shouldn't have died the way you did, and I appreciate it so much what you gave me. Every time I hear that Mum died for me and tried to protect me, it makes me feel... a bit more special and proud that I had... parents like you two.   
  
"I did find out a few bad things. Last year, I found out how ruthless Dad was to Professor Snape, and that brought me down. I know there's a story behind it, and I want to know it, but I don't think I'll ever know. I really want to know more about you, but I think Remus is a bit 'sensitive' about the whole thing, with Sirius gone too.   
  
"There's so many things that you missed when I was growing up. I was so abused by the Dursleys after you died and after I got my letter from Hogwarts. I did so many things that when I look back and think about them, they're unbelievable. I saved the Philosopher's Stone from Professor Quirrell's and Lord Voldemort's clutches. I caught the one who was opening the Chamber of Secrets, and I slew the monster within, which is by the way a basilisk. I found Sirius Black and found out his true story, even if everyone else thought he was a criminal. Actually, I saved him from getting a kiss from a Dementor. I participated in the TriWizard Tournament, and won, although it didn't feel good. I witnessed Lord Voldemort being brought back to power, and believe me, it was horrible. Last year, I taught Defence Against the Dark Arts, and I helped Arthur Weasley get help because I knew he was attacked. I also tried to save Sirius... but of course... Anyway, I destroyed what Voldemort was trying to get, which is all right.   
  
"This year, Voldemort was possessing Princess Glory, and I didn't exactly do anything, but in a way, I stopped Voldemort possessing Glory, and now he's not as powerful as he was before.   
  
"By just talking about Voldemort, I realize that it's all his fault that Sirius and you two are dead, and that my life isn't as wonderful as it could have been. Yet, it made me stronger, and it kind of makes me closer to Glory, who I'm dating. I know you'd be proud, Mum. Sirius told me about it. Dumbledore told me about the Prophecy that was made before I was born, that I'm the only one who can kill Voldemort, and that I have a special power that he doesn't know about. I still don't know what that power is, and I hope I'll know someday. The Prophecy said at the end, one will have to kill the other. With you both and Sirius in my mind, I will try and destroy Voldemort, whenever the time comes. And if I don't..."  
  
Harry thought for a moment about what would happen if Voldemort killed him. He trembled at the thought, and he felt like he wanted to bleed worry by thinking about it. Would he fail? Would he complete the Prophecy, and not complete his duty to destroy Voldemort? Would he be killed the same awful way his parents did?  
  
"If I don't destroy him... then I'll be with you two again. I hope that doesn't come too soon, and I will try my hardest to destroy him, in your honour, in Sirius' honour, and in Cedric's honour. I will destroy him once and for all, and that the wizarding world will soon see peace once again, like it did when he tried to kill me before."   
  
"Harry, we have to go!" called Uncle Vernon, honking at the horn in his car.  
  
"I have to go, and I'll try and make you both happy, and you too Sirius," he said, looking back at Sirius' grave. "I'll keep you all in my heart, I promise, and I'll make all you three proud of me."  
  
As a couple more tears dropped down to his face, he touched their gravestones for the last time, and stood up.  
  
"Goodbye," whispered Harry, as he walked away from his parents gravestones and into the future, not knowing what would happen. But with his parents watching over him, he knew he would do whatever it takes to make them proud and to one day, maybe, beat Lord Voldemort.   
  
Author's Note: I love this chapter!! (cries even more). I felt very emotional during this chapter because, well, it has a lot of emotion in it. I'm sorry if Harry seemed somewhat wussy, but when someone's dead, you just 'let it go'. At least I think so. Anyway, here are my thank yous:  
  
Angel Princess Stephanie - My first reviewer! What can I say? That you every SO much for that, because you gave me a lot of confidence for my writing. THANK YOU!!!  
  
Kala Black - It was a bit of a harsh review, but truthfully, it was my first harsh review. I'm glad you liked it.  
  
Duke20104 - Thanks so much for reviewing, and I'm glad you liked the story!  
  
SailorPanda15 - You reviewed twice? That was awesome! Thanks a bunch and I'm glad you liked it. Oh, and your welcome for the review I gave you.  
  
hell'squeen - Thanks for the review! You know what, I liked having Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia not being so mean to Harry too.  
  
magicrules - Thanks SO much for reviewing twice! I thought it was good to not have writer's block while putting it on the site (though I did get a bunch while writing it). I'm glad you liked Remus' character too!  
  
harrypottergirl - Thanks for reviewing, and for your questions: (1) Thanks for telling me about only driving in England when you're 17, and by the way, I'm Canadian (Oh, Canada!) and (2) Harry could drive 'very carefully', but I'm sure Harry's cast is hard enough for him to drive and it was already healing too.  
  
JeanieBeanie33 - I am absolutely sure you gave me my best review of all time! Thanks SOOOOO MUCH!!!! And you reviewed twice, that's even better! Thank you!  
  
Rhinemjr - Wow, 5 reviews! You've been my most consistent reviewer, and I thank you SO much for reviewing! I'm really glad you liked it!  
  
g3tog4unlog on - Thanks for reviewing, but for your question, werewolves can only be hurt be 'real silver', and the Thunderbird only had the colour of silver.  
  
Voldie on Varsity Track - Thanks for reviewing and I glad you liked it! Vernon and Petunia may seem out of character, but I thought I should have changed them because of the 'talk' Harry's friends gave them.  
  
BlueGryphon - Thanks for reviewing and the compliment, and sorry, I didn't know you had to be 17 to drive in England.  
  
Christian - Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad you liked the story!  
  
Fire Maiden Kiya - Thanks so much for FINALLY reviewing! I really liked the compliments.  
  
Kami - Thanks for reviewing, and I'm happy you liked it.  
  
puppy-luva - Thank you SO much for reviewing twice, and that comment about some people not reviewing gave me a lot of confidence. THANKS!  
  
maaz - Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you want to keep on reading the story when you've got exams, but I'm too busy to send them.  
  
IRM Karmada Dothlthleig - Hey, thanks so much for the review, and thank you for giving me some pointers on that few, slow actions thing. It comes in really helpful when creating other stories!  
  
drache5824 - Thanks for reviewing, and here's the answer to your question about why anyone needs to perfect the wolfsbane potion: as a perfectionist, I know that ANYTHING can be perfected. Some ways of perfecting the wolfsbane potion are to make the transformation process less painful (because in the 3rd book I think Remus says that it's painful to transform), to let the werewolf have less canine characteristics and more human ones so he'll be a bit less dangerous (or in the wolfbane's case, more less dangerous), the potion could work a lot quicker, and of course, you can always perfect the taste! And the answer of the question for your second: in the first chapter, I stated that I wasn't going to include a few things mentioned in the 5th book, including Lucius Malfoy's arrest (even though I decided by the 3rd chapter that I would include Cho Chang and Harry's previous relationship). This is because I started writing the story before the 5th book was even published, and by the time I read the book, I was almost finished my story and Lucius Malfoy happened to be a very large part in the story. Wow, that's a lot of answering, isn't it?  
  
Wytil - Thank you for reviewing twice, and yes, it was an interesting way for old Voldie to screw up. It was difficult and yet very fun to plan out his downfall. And Fudge isn't a clone, at least, I hope not.  
  
Gryffindorquidditch - Thanks for reviewing, and I'm very glad you liked the story and my Hogwarts song. I'm actually quite proud of that song, so thank you for complimenting it! 


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